On Monday, the new Russian Ambassador to Libya, Aydar Rashidovich Aganin officially assumed his diplomatic duties, following his submission of credentials to the Head of the Libyan Presidential Council, Mohamed Al-Mnifi.
In press statements, Ambassador Aganin confirmed that “Russia has fully resumed its diplomatic presence in Libya. The Russian Embassy is now in a position to foster and enhance its historic friendship with Libya.”
He confirmed that “the security situation in Libya has significantly improved. The country is gradually shifting towards peaceful development, where disputes among Libyan politicians are settled through dialogue. Indeed, Russia’s diplomatic presence in Libya has been fully restored, and we now look forward to strengthening our traditional friendship ties.”
The Russian diplomat underscored that his Libyan counterparts “have demonstrated a keen interest in engaging with Russia, seeking its assessments and viewpoints. This diplomatic development reflects Russia’s unwavering commitment to enhancing its relations with Libya, marking an optimistic future for Russian-Libyan diplomatic engagement.”
Aganin is a Russian diplomat and former journalist who headed Russia Today’s Arabic news service from 2007 to 2011. He also served as the Representative of the Russian Federation to the Palestinian National Authority. As well as a diplomat in Jordan, Iraq, and the US.
In November, the Special Envoy of Russia’s President to the Middle East and Africa, Mikhail Bogdanov said that Moscow will soon reopen its Embassy in Libya.
Russia relocated its Embassy to neighbouring Tunisia in 2014, after it came under attack in October 2013. This forced Moscow to withdraw its diplomatic staff from Libya.
In August, the Russian Foreign Minister, Sergey Lavrov, and his Libyan counterpart, Najla Al-Mangoush discussed the prospects for resuming economic projects, which were suspended a decade ago.
During the talks, the two paid special attention to the resumption of the work of the Intergovernmental Committee. As well as the activities of Russia’s Tatneft and Gazprom energy companies, and the Russian Railways projects in Libya.
Notably, 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, and the refusal of Prime Minister Abdel-Hamid Dbaiba, who is leading the transitional government, to step down.
