EU foreign ministers at a meeting in Brussels on Monday will discuss the situation in Libya and ways of further settlement in that country, where there is a “very, very bad” situation, EU foreign policy chief Joseph Borrel said before the meeting.
“The situation in this country is very, very bad… We will see what measures EU members are still willing to take to control the arms embargo… We will listen to all positions”, – Borrel said.
He added that the ministerial meeting will also discuss relations with India and the African Union. “We have very complicated advice today. First, we have the Indian Foreign Minister. We will share lunch with him and talk about India and the upcoming EU-India summit … Also among the topics are the Middle East process, strategic cooperation with Africa”, – stressed the head of European diplomacy.
After the overthrow and murder of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, Libya actually ceased to function as a single state. Now the country has a dual power: in the east, the parliament elected by the people sits, while in the west, in the capital, Tripoli, the Government of National Accord, formed with the support of the UN and the European Union, Fayez Sarraj, rules. The eastern authorities operate independently of Tripoli and cooperate with the Libyan National Army Khalifa Haftar.
A year ago, Haftar launched a military campaign to free the country from terrorists and armed groups. The main fighting took place around the Libyan capital Tripoli, where forces loyal to Sarraj organized their defence. Turkey came to Sarraj’s aid in late 2019, after signing the relevant memorandum of military cooperation. The international community and the countries of the region categorically opposed Ankara’s intervention in the Libyan conflict.
An international conference on Libya was held in Berlin on January 19, 2020, with the participation of Russia, the United States, Turkey, Egypt and a number of other countries, as well as the EU and the UN. It was also attended by the Prime Minister of the NTC Fayez Sarrage, and the leader of the offensive against Tripoli, LNA Commander Haftar. It was not possible to organize direct negotiations between Libyan representatives in Berlin.
The main outcome of the conference was the call for a ceasefire in Libya and the commitment to refrain from interfering in the conflict while respecting the arms embargo on the parties. In addition, the meeting proposed the establishment of a committee to monitor the implementation of the ceasefire agreement.