MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 20th October, 2020) Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov discussed efforts to cement the Libyan ceasefire in a call with the Tobruk-based parliament chairman, Aguila Saleh, on Monday against the backdrop of Libya's 5+5 Joint Military Committee talks in Geneva.
The same day, Bogdanov received Saleh's personal envoy, Ambassador Abdel Baset Badri.
"During the talks, the situation in and around Libya was discussed in-depth with a focus on the tasks of an early political settlement of the Libyan crisis in accordance with the decisions of the Berlin international conference, approved by UN Security Council resolution 2510. At the same time, the Russian side stressed the importance of consolidating the cessation of hostilities and ensuring the inclusive nature of the intra-Libyan dialogue in the interests of achieving the unity, territorial integrity and sovereignty of Libya," the Russian ministry said.
The discussions came as the Libyan conflicting sides' military leaders gathered for the fourth round of negotiations in Geneva. Security is set to take center stage in the talks, which will run through October 24. The UN hopes the talks would result in "a solution to all outstanding issues in order to achieve a complete and permanent ceasefire across Libya."
Tripoli's UN-recognized Government of National Accord and the Tobruk-based elected House of Representatives have been at loggerheads over primacy in the war-torn nation since 2015. The two sides finally agreed to call a ceasefire in August and have since engaged in multiple rounds of meetings to hash out agreements on sharing power and oil revenues and drafting a new constitution.
