Russia calls for an immediate cessation of hostilities in Libya and the beginning of a political dialogue, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said.
“We fully supported then and continue to support your proposal for an immediate cessation of hostilities, for the start of a political dialogue, as a result of which new unified authorities should be formed on the basis of equal representation of the three historical regions of Libya”, – Lavrov said at a meeting with the speaker of the ruling in the Eastern Libya House of Representatives (Parliament), Akila Saleh.
After the overthrow and assassination of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, Libya virtually ceased to function as a single state. Dual power reigns in the country now. The parliament elected by the people sits in the east, and in the west, in the capital Tripoli, the Government of National Accord, led by Sarraj, rules with the support of the UN and the European Union. The authorities of the eastern part of the country operate independently of Tripoli and collaborate with the Libyan National Army, led by Marshal Khalifa Haftar, who has not stopped trying to capture Tripoli since April 2019.
In late April, Haftar announced his withdrawal from the political agreement on the peaceful settlement of the conflict and on the formation of the GNA, signed on December 17, 2015 in the city of Shirat (Morocco). Haftar also said that the LNA takes control of all territories under its control.
On 6 June, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi met with Haftar and Saleh in Cairo. 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 United States and a number of Arab states, including Saudi Arabia and the UAE. The GNA and Turkey did not support it.