NATO Secretary-General, Jens Stoltenberg confirmed that the alliance is ready to contribute to security building in Libya once conditions allow.
During a news conference, Stoltenberg welcomed the Libyan ceasefire, and claimed the alliance has “seen the presence of fighter jets and mercenaries financed by Russia and Russian military capabilities,” in response to a question about Moscosw’s military build-up in the region.
“For NATO, it just highlights the importance of supporting the UN-led efforts to find a negotiated solution to the Libyan crisis,” he added.
Libya has been divided between two authorities for the past six years. Khalifa Haftar’s Libyan National Army (LNA) controls the east, and is allied to the Tobruk-based Libyan Parliament. Meanwhile, the Government of National Accord (GNA) is based in Tripoli, and is supported by a number of foreign powers, primarily Turkey.
Ankara continues to escalate its involvement in the Libyan conflict by supporting the GNA, despite Turkey participating and agreeing to the results of the Berlin Conference held in January 2020 where foreign states active in Libya agreed to uphold the UN arms embargo.