Russian Foreign Minister, Sergey Lavrov met with the Special Representative for Libya and the Head of the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL), Abdoulaye Bathily in Moscow.
In a statement, the Russian Foreign Ministry said that “Lavrov renewed his commitment to cooperate with the United Nations Mission in Libya.”
The Russian minister said that “there is no alternative to achieving a just, long-term, and mutually acceptable settlement within the framework of the political process, led and implemented by the Libyans themselves.”
He urged the two parties to “coordinate international efforts in good faith aimed at overcoming the protracted conflict with the leading role of the United Nations.”
Last Month, the Egyptian Foreign Minister, Sameh Shoukry claimed that he discussed the situation in Libya during his talks with Lavrov. They also discussed Cairo’s efforts to push for elections in the country.
Shoukry added that they stressed the “necessity of establishing a government that represents the interests of the Libyan people, and ends the presence of foreign forces and militias while preserving the legal frameworks.”
In his speech at a joint conference with Lavrov in Moscow, Shoukry also touched on the issue of supporting the 5 + 5 Joint Military Committee (JMC), in order to “unify the military establishment, and not slip into confrontations.”
The FM said: “We discussed the situation in Libya, and Egypt’s efforts to find an intra-Libyan solution.”
In turn, Lavrov noted that “we stressed the continuation and close work with Egypt during our talks, to resolve the crisis in Libya. We support Egypt’s efforts to embrace intra-Libyan dialogue to reach the constitutional basis for holding elections.”
Libya has been in chaos since a NATO-backed uprising toppled longtime leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011. The county has for years been split between rival administrations, each backed by rogue militias and foreign governments.
The current stalemate grew out of the failure to hold elections in December, and the refusal of Prime Minister Abdel-Hamid Dbaiba, who is leading the transitional government, to step down. In response, the country’s eastern-based Parliament appointed a rival Prime Minister, Fathi Bashagha, who has for months sought to install his government in Tripoli.