MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 19th January, 2020) US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo met with EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell in Berlin on Sunday ahead of an international conference to resolve Libya's ongoing civil war, with both parties stressing the need to stabilize the situation in the middle East.
"It was a pleasure meeting in Berlin with EU High Representative @JosepBorrellF today to discuss our shared challenges, including ways we can work together toward greater peace and security in the Middle East and North Africa," Pompeo wrote on Twitter.
The US diplomat also stated on Twitter that he had a meeting with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Sisi earlier in the day, during which the sides agreed on a need for a formal ceasefire, political negotiations and an end to foreign military intervention in Libya.
Libya has been torn apart between the two rival administrations since 2011, when its long-time leader Muammar Gaddafi was overthrown and killed. The Libyan National Army, led by Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar, currently controls the majority of territory in Libya's eastern regions, while the Tripoli-based UN-backed Government of National Accord, led by Prime Minister Fayez Sarraj, has a foothold in the country's west.
Berlin is hosting talks among the two Libyan rivals and international actors, including a number of regional states, the five UN Security Council permanent members, Germany, Turkey, the United Nations, the European Union, and the African Union.
