Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has received an invitation to participate in the Berlin Conference on Libya, to be held on June 23, the Russian President's Special Representative for the Middle East and Africa and Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov told reporters on Wednesday on the sidelines of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF).
"Sergey Viktorovich Lavrov received an invitation signed by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas. They invite him to come on June 23. I think, of course, Russia will participate," he said, adding that the minister's participation will depend on his work schedule.
Ján Kubiš, the UN Secretary-General's Special Envoy for Libya, will visit Moscow next week and hold consultations with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, Bogdanov said. "Ján Kubiš will come to Moscow next week at the invitation of our minister. Consultations will take place," he said.
Bogdanov and Kubiš had a telephone conversation last week. The sides exchanged views on Libya in the framework of the Special Envoy's upcoming visit to Moscow and also discussed a range of issues related to further promotion of the political process in Libya in accordance with the provisions of the Libyan Political Dialogue Roadmap adopted by the Forum in November 2020, decisions of the Berlin International Conference and UN Security Council Resolution 2510.
On January 19 last year, the first conference on the Libyan settlement was held in Berlin at the level of heads of state and government, including the Russian Federation. In the final document, its participants called for a ceasefire, the establishment of a five-plus-five commission, pledged to refrain from interfering in Libya's affairs, proposed the creation of a unified government and launched reforms to restore the statehood lost after the NATO intervention in 2011.
GSV "Russia - Islamic World"
Photo: Mohammad Hannon / AP / TASS
Based on materials from TASS