MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 17th February, 2023) Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has discussed the issue of resolving the internal Libyan crisis under the leadership of the United Nations with Abdoulaye Bathily, the special representative of the UN secretary-general for Libya, the Russian Foreign Ministry said on Thursday.
"During the meeting, the state and prospects of resolving the internal Libyan crisis, primarily caused by the NATO aggression in 2011, were discussed. In this context, the parties stressed the importance of coordinating good faith international efforts aimed at overcoming the protracted conflict under the UN leadership. This should be implemented through an inclusive process involving all major political forces in the country," the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
Moscow confirmed support for Bathily's activities, as well as its commitment to close cooperation with the UN mission in Libya, the ministry added.
"The lack of alternative to achieving a just, long-term and mutually acceptable settlement within the framework of a political process led and carried out by the Libyans themselves has been noted," the statement read.
Earlier in the day, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Vershinin held separate consultations with Bathily on various aspects of the situation in Libya in light of the upcoming discussion of this issue in the UN Security Council.
Libya has been in turmoil since a NATO invasion helped topple Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011. His death led to a decade-long rivalry between the UN-backed administration in Tripoli and the parliament in Tobruk. A UN-brokered reconciliation process put a caretaker unity government in charge in 2021, but it failed to hold elections in December as scheduled.
