The Russian Ambassador to the UN Security Council, Dmitry Polyanskiy stated that holding general elections “requires the presence of a unified government to overcome the crisis in Libya.”
Polyanskiy explained during his speech at the Security Council session that, “there are still two competing governments in Libya, hindering a permanent solution.”
The Russian representative affirmed that “conducting elections is the way to break the political deadlock in Libya,” warning that “international initiatives will fail without agreement among local Libyan parties.”
He added that “imposing conditional electoral processes that exclude certain figures is not advisable for success.”
Polyanskiy emphasised that the electoral process “should be comprehensive, representing all Libyan stakeholders, including those associated with the previous regime.”
He also pointed out the necessity of “continuing to define the legal framework for elections through negotiations between deputies and the state, even though the 6+6 Joint Committee concluded its work in May.”
Polyanskiy expressed hope that the two councils would reach a consensus soon, emphasising the need for Libyans to overcome overlapping contradictions.
“If legislative agreement for elections is not achieved, international initiatives will fail, leading to further divisions,” according to the Russian representative.
He stressed that “active parties must make efforts in the right direction to improve the situation in Libya.”
Polyanskiy called for a “balanced, synchronised, gradual, and time-restricted process for the withdrawal of foreign presence in Libya. In the absence of a political solution, Libya faces the risk of repeating the painful scenario of the past decade, as the European Union manipulates the arms embargo process.”
Polyanskiy asserted that Operation IRINI was ineffective, selective, and non-transparent, and EU decisions “undermine the Security Council’s resolutions by redirecting seized shipments to third parties.”
Meanwhile, the US representative to the UN Security Council, John Kelly stated on Monday that there is a “particular challenge in forming a caretaker government with the task of overseeing Libyan elections.”
The US delegate expressed support for Libya’s 5+5 Joint Military Commission (JMC) meeting, and preparations for settling outstanding issues.
He urged Libyan stakeholders to “nominate representatives without delay. We agree with the viewpoint of most Libyans in breaking the deadlock to form a unified government.”