Russia has accused several Western countries of attempting to transform Libya into a new battleground for confrontation with Russia, urging dialogue among all Libyan parties.
This statement was made by Pyotr Ilyichev, the Director of the Department of International Organizations, at the Russian Foreign Ministry. Ilyichev emphasized that Libya “has not yet recovered from the blatant aggression launched by NATO in 2011, which began with the manipulation of United Nations Security Council resolutions.”
Ilyichev pointed out that Libya is “practically divided into two parts, teetering on the brink of a civil war and has become a source of illegal immigration.”
Amidst the Ukrainian crisis, he noted, “certain countries are attempting, as part of a broad anti-Russia campaign, to turn Libya into a confrontation arena against Russia. However, these attempts only serve to entrench existing divisions on the ground and delay prospects for a settlement among Libyans.” Ilyichev did not specify which countries
He stressed that “improving the situation in Libya can only be achieved through dialogue among all warring parties, with the assistance of interested external players, and the central role of the United Nations. We believe that expressing the will of the people can end the long-standing duality of power in Libya, and will lay the foundation for stability through the restoration of the country’s unity and territorial integrity. Libyans themselves must determine the timing and measures for conducting elections, without external pressure or artificially imposed deadlines.”
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 2021, and the refusal of Prime Minister Abdel-Hamid Dbaiba, who is leading the transitional government, to step down.