Russia Urges Libya's Warring Parties To Resume Peace Talks - Foreign Ministry

Russia calls upon all sides of the Libyan conflict to resume negotiations and launch a political process toward overcoming the crisis in their country, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Thursday

ORENBURG (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 15th August, 2019) Russia calls upon all sides of the Libyan conflict to resume negotiations and launch a political process toward overcoming the crisis in their country, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Thursday.

"Our stance is that there are no alternatives to the political settlement of the crisis in Libya. We believe the first necessary step toward it to be establishing a long-term sustainable ceasefire. Simultaneously, we call upon all political and military forces in Libya to engage in negotiations and take measures toward restoring an inclusive political process aimed at overcoming the country's breakdown and establishing unified and effective state institutions that would be capable of restoring peace and prosperity on Libyan soil," Zakharova said at a press briefing.

After Muammar Gaddafi was overthrown and killed in 2011, Libya ceased functioning as a unified state. Two rival governments have split the country in half, with the Libyan National Army (LNA) controlling the east and the internationally-recognized Government of National Accord (GNA) controlling the west. The capital, Tripoli, has become a battlefield for continuous military operations that have left the city destroyed and hundreds of people killed.

The latest estimates by the United Nations suggest that more than 730 people have been killed and 4,000 more wounded in armed hostilities in Tripoli since April.