Russia: No Meeting Scheduled with Libya's Sarraj in Kremlin

On Monday, the Russian Presidential Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov said that there is no meeting scheduled with Fayez Al-Sarraj, the Libyan Prime Minister of the Government of National Accord (GNA), at the Kremlin.

Earlier, some Arab media reported that Al-Sarraj plans to visit Moscow to meet with the Russian President Vladimir Putin after his visit to Turkey.

The GNA-led Sarraj visited the Turkish capital on Thursday to hold talks with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

Sarraj's visit to Turkey

During his visit, he expressed his gratitude to Erdogan for standing by the GNA in its battle against the Libyan National Army (LNA).

After meeting with the Turkish President, Al-Sarraj added that his visit to Turkey aims to develop stronger cooperation between the two countries. He stressed that the war will continue until the whole of Libya is under state control.

He added, “We will always stay loyal to the blood of our victims and the sacrifices of our heroes, hence our decision not to sit at the table with the LNA commander Haftar”.

Erdogan claimed that Turkey has supported Libya the most during the global COVID-19 pandemic, thanks to multiple medical aid deliveries to the country.

“Turkey and Libya agreed on improving bilateral ties in multiple areas, including in the eastern Mediterranean,” he added.

Erdogan also said Turkey would advance its cooperation with Libya including searching for hydrocarbons in the eastern Mediterranean. This is part of a bilateral maritime deal reached between the two governments.

Notably, the GNA forces began the offensive on Saturday by storming several areas under the control of the Libyan National Army (LNA).

Backed by heavy strikes from Turkish drones, the GNA was able to capture Al-Washaka and several other areas after an intense battle with the Libyan National Army.

However, these advances would be short-lived, as a swift counter-attack by the Libyan National Army not only drove back the GNA forces, but also inflicted heavy losses in their ranks.

The LNA reported that several GNA fighters were killed during the battle, including a number of Syrian mercenaries that were transported to Libya from Turkey.

The GNA’s defeat at Sirte came shortly after their forces captured the strategic city of Tarhouna and all of the areas under LNA control in and around Tripoli.

Turkey began providing overt military support to the GNA in November, after signing a military cooperation pact alongside a maritime demarcation deal that gives Ankara exploration rights in the Mediterranean. This deal has been rejected by Greece and a number of other countries.