Russia’s permanent representative to the United Nations, Vasily Nebenzya expressed his concern over the postponement of elections in Libya. As well as the presence of two rival governments, noting that this could lead to a resurgence of violence in the North African country.
The Russia official stressed that negotiations are the key solution, hoping that this will result in the transfer of power through national dialogue.
During his speech at the Security Council session on Libya on Wednesday, the Russian diplomat stressed the need to appoint a new UN special envoy for Libya as soon as possible. “The nomination of the new envoy must be acceptable to the members of the Security Council, and the Libyan authorities,” he stressed.
He also expressed Moscow’s respect for the desire of the Libyan people to resolve their problems by themselves. “This is confirmed by the Libyan Parliament’s formation of a new government headed by Fathi Bashagha,” he explained.
“The appointment of Bashagha is a solution after a protracted crisis, especially after the postponement of the elections on 24 December 2021,” he added.
“Libya, after 11 years, has not escaped the cycle of destruction due to the intervention of NATO in the country in 2011,” Nebenzya said.
He also stressed the need to unify institutions, improve the economy, ensure security, and prepare for general elections.
Nebenzya went on to say that Moscow does not see real progress in the security track, despite a year passing without renewed fighting.
“The 5+5 Joint Military Commission (JMC) is working on the matter, but no concrete measures have been taken to stop the possibility of a direct military escalation. The heavy artillery has not been withdrawn,” the Russia official said.
“With regard to foreign forces, our position is clear. We demand a gradual withdrawal of all non-Libyan military units, and this will avoid stopping any imbalance of power,” the Ambassador noted.
Nebenzya criticized the performance of the UN-Secretary General’s Adviser to Libya (SASG), Stephanie Williams. “We are currently getting little information from Williams. Those responsible for this file are not as active as we see them in other areas, and we don’t see them talking about the serious process that is currently taking place in Libya,” he concluded.