On Wednesday, the Interim Government’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Abdel-Hadi Al-Hawij stressed that they would not allow Turkish military bases to be set up in Libya.
This came during talks conducted by Al-Hawij with Russian Deputy Foreign Minister, Mikhail Bogdanov, where they discussed recent political and military developments in Libya.
The two sides also discussed ways to implement the Egyptian initiative announced by President Abdel-Fatah El-Sisi in early June. This is with the aim of a permanent ceasefire and political solution to end the crisis in Libya.
These talks came after the arrival of a high-ranking delegation from the Interim government and the General Military Command to Moscow. They discussed the recent developments in Libya as well as cooperation between Libya and Russia.
The Foreign Minister reiterated the government’s support for Russian efforts to reach a ceasefire and launch a political process that would ensure its independence, and expel all foreign fighters from the country. Al-Hawij revealed to Russia Today news channel that more than 13,000 Syrian mercenaries had come to Libya, via Turkey.
He expressed his hope that the Egyptian initiative would become an international initiative, and that the Arab League, African Union, and the Security Council would adopt the initiative. Al-Hawij demanded lasting peace in Libya after expelling armed groups, and disarming outlaws.