Russian President, Vladimir Putin stated that there must be balanced communication between the Libyan parties, and urged them to find a comprehensive settlement to the political crisis.
This came during his expanded meeting with members of the Russian Foreign Ministry, on Thursday. He confirmed that developing dialogue with Middle Eastern countries is a top priority for Moscow.
A Spokeswoman for the Russian Foreign Ministry said that they were working with the international community to ensure lasting stability in Libya.
Earlier in November, the Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sergey Lavrov said that the participants of the Paris International Conference on Libya confirmed the need to withdraw foreign troops from Libyan territory “gradually and smoothly.”
“The withdrawal should be complete, at the same time it should be performed in stages, gradually, and it has to be synchronized in terms of withdrawing those who support Libya’s West and those who support [its] East,” the Russian FM said in press statements.
This approach will allow the balance of forces to be preserved, and continue to uphold the year-long ceasefire agreement.
“As for the withdrawal of foreign military groups, armed forces and so on, then the decision made today upheld the formula contained in the final document of the Berlin Conference this July. As well as the formula that literally a couple of weeks ago, Libya’s Joint Military Commission (JMC), the so-called 5+5, recorded in its decisions,” Lavrov added.
UN Secretary-General, António Guterres expressed concern over the continued presence of foreign troops in Libya despite agreements to withdraw them.