Russia is in contact with all parties to the conflict in Libya and a ceasefire is being discussed, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov said Thursday on the sidelines of St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF).
“We are in contact with all sides. Yesterday there were talks here between [Russian Foreign Minister] Sergey Lavrov and [U.N. Special Representative for Libya] Ghassan Salame, all of these issues were discussed. The contacts are maintained with the East and the West, with the South, with everyone,” Bogdanov told reporters.
“As a topic, it is naturally discussed in the Security Council, with Salame, with the forces involved, but there are many issues here: what the conditions are or there are no conditions and who to agree with. Because there are different militias in Tripoli, some of them of the Islamist kind, and one has to find out if it is possible to have talks with them,” he said.
Since April 4, the Libyan National Army, led by Khalifa Haftar, has been marching its forces to the outskirts of Tripoli to rid it of “terrorist groups.”
Russia, along with the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, and France has supported Haftar after he solidified control of the east and swept through the south in January. While the offensive caught Moscow off balance, it sees the developments as a potential way to encourage a deal.
Russia’s recent diplomatic conduct and strategic interests in Libya underline its support for Haftar’s offensive.
A few days after the launch of Tripoli offensive, Andrey Kortunov, head of the Russian International Affairs Council, a research group set up by the Kremlin, said the Russian administration views Haftar’s actions as “an effort to demonstrate he’s a factor that has to be taken into account, to get bargaining chips.”
On April 8, Russia blocked a resolution in the U.N. Security Council that would have called upon Haftar to halt his offensive in Tripoli.
Russia’s decision reaffirmed its position as one of Haftar’s leading allies, and highlighted Moscow’s continued willingness to shield Haftar from international criticism. Three days later, Haftar made a surprise visit to Moscow as his offensive against Tripoli intensified in a bid to secure military assistance from Russian Ministry of Defense officials.
Moreover, Russia views the LNA’s growing hegemony over Libya’s oil reserves as a valuable strategic asset, as Russian companies seek to profit from Libya’s expanded oil production. Moscow also views the LNA as a bulwark against Islamic extremism in Libya.
