On Monday, Russia’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Vassily Nebenzia denied claims that Russian mercenaries were present in Libya. He stated that these are based on unverified and fabricated data, aimed at discrediting Moscow.
In statements to Russia’s Sputnik news agency, Nebenzia said that they are aware of the presence of Western servicemen, and private military companies in Libya. These, he said, were engaged in recruiting mercenaries who are now present in the North African country.
He also commented on the claims about ‘Russia’s destructive role’ in the Libyan settlement, saying: “Our Western colleagues most often cite information by a group of experts from the [UN] Security Council’s 1970 committee on Libya. Remarkably, reports by this group of experts, whenever our country is mentioned, are ‘leaked’ into media all the time, despite being confidential.”
The Russian official added that this information is largely based on unverified, or spurious data. It is only aimed at discrediting Russia’s policy on Libya.
He reiterated that Russia remains open to constructive dialogue, aimed at maintaining and strengthening the global security architecture.
Nebenzia expressed hope that Russia’s approach would be supported unanimously at this year’s UNGA session. He noted that global demand for support to arms control deals was now “higher than ever”.
“So, we would recommend our Western colleagues to stop the hypocrisy, and anti-Russia media campaign. The UN group of experts should have a professional and unbiased approach to their job,” he added.
“These are the same Western countries that destroyed Libya’s state system back in 2011 and provoked the crisis that is still unfolding,” Nebenzia concluded.