Libya's GNA Hopes To Revive 'Intensive' Cooperation With Russia After Damage Of 2011

Libya's GNA Hopes to Revive 'Intensive' Cooperation With Russia After Damage of 2011

Libya's UN-backed Government of National Accord (GNA) hopes that cooperation with Russia and its businesses, which has been damaged in the wake of the 2011 civil conflict, will return to normal, while Moscow will help in the peace settlement, Foreign Minister Mohamed Siala told Sputnik on the sidelines of the Russia-Africa summit

SOCHI (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 23rd October, 2019) Libya's UN-backed Government of National Accord (GNA) hopes that cooperation with Russia and its businesses, which has been damaged in the wake of the 2011 civil conflict, will return to normal, while Moscow will help in the peace settlement, Foreign Minister Mohamed Siala told Sputnik on the sidelines of the Russia-Africa summit.

According to Siala, despite the current pause in cooperation, Libyan-Russian ties have a "long history and many opportunities."

"We hope that the communication with Russian friends as well as Russian companies will be continued, and Russia's embassy will also return to work in Tripoli," he said.

Russia evacuated its embassy from Libya to Tunisia in 2014 in light of the deteriorating security situation. As of today, nearly all Western nations have moved their diplomatic staff to Tunis.

"We hope that we return to this intensive activity [with Russia that] has existed for decades in the fields of electricity, railways, grain imports and trade exchange. We hope that Russia will help in resolving the crisis in Libya," the minister added.

Russia was actively present in the Libyan market, especially in the energy sector, before the overthrow and killing of long-time Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011. As a result of the civil war, which split Libya into two rival governments, most of Russia's projects with the north African nation have been halted.

The Russia-Africa Summit and Economic Forum, co-chaired by the presidents of Russia and Egypt, opened in the Russian resort city of Sochi earlier in the day. The Rossiya Segodnya International Information Agency is an official media partner of the two-day event.