Russian Charge D'affairs Says To Maintain Contact With All Sides To Libyan Conflict

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 14th July, 2020) The Russian charge d'affaires ad interim in Libya, Jamshed Boltaev, told Sputnik that he would maintain contacts with all sides to the Libyan conflict.

"Of course, it is necessary, and I am ready to travel and communicate with the authorities of the Government of National Accord [GNA], and with the authorities in the east of the country... I am planning to maintain contacts with all sides in Libya and keep in touch with all," Boltaev said.

In early July, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov announced the decision to resume the work of Russian embassy in Libya that will represent Russia's interests on the entire Libyan territory, although it will be temporarily based in Tunisia.

"I'm ready to depart event tomorrow, but for obvious reasons I can't say when I will be there because of restrictions on air traffic that remain in place globally," the diplomat said.

According to Boltaev, the diplomatic mission will be based in Tunisia for security reasons, since the situation in Tripoli does not allow to freely move there and work directly on the spot.

Libya has been suffering from internal conflict since its long-time leader Muammar Gaddafi was overthrown and killed in 2011. At the moment, the east of the country is ruled by the parliament, while the west is controlled by the Tripoli-based GNA, which was formed with the help of the United Nations and the European Union. The authorities in the east cooperate with the Libyan National Army (LNA), which has been attempting to take control of Tripoli.