Libya appreciates and supports the efforts of Russia aimed at resolving the Libyan problem, the vice speaker of the parliament in power in eastern Libya, Ahmida Homa, said in an interview.
“We appreciate and support the efforts of Russia, Russia did not leave Libya, but really stood by its side, seriously and truly, so that Libya would take its former place among other countries. Russia did not exert pressure on the Libyans, but was their pillar in the fight against terrorism and illegal groups”, – Homa said.
He recalled that the delegation of the Libyan parliament had recently been to Russia and had a meeting with Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov, receiving during this visit Moscow’s assurances of support for Libya, including in the UN Security Council, on the road to stabilizing the situation in the country.
In Libya, the confrontation continues between the Government of National Accord (GNA) Fayez Sarraj, which controls Tripoli and territories in the west of the country and is supported by Turkey, and the Libyan National Army under the command of Khalifa Haftar, which is supported politically by Egypt.
On 6 June, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi met with Haftar and the head of the House of Representatives, Aquila Saleh, in eastern Libya. Following the meeting, the head of Egypt announced the “Cairo initiative”, which includes a ceasefire throughout Libya from June 8 and the terms of a political settlement. The initiative was supported by Russia, the USA and a number of Arab states, including Saudi Arabia and the UAE. Against were the GNA and Turkey.
For more than a year, the Haftar army has been trying to recapture the capital of Libya. Both sides of the conflict say that the opponents receive help from arms and manpower from outside. In recent weeks, GNA forces have reported significant successes in the Battle of Tripoli and announced their intention to build on success by establishing control of the city of Sirte and other territories east of the capital.
An international conference on Libya was held in Berlin on January 19 with the participation of Russia, the USA, Turkey, Egypt and several other countries, as well as the EU and the UN. The main outcome of the conference was an appeal by its participants to a ceasefire in Libya and an obligation to refrain from interfering in the conflict, observing the embargo on the supply of arms to the parties. In addition, participants in the meeting proposed the creation of a ceasefire monitoring committee.