Moscow is interested in developing various cooperation with Algeria, including in the defense sector, said Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov during talks with Algerian Foreign Minister Sabri Boukadoum.
"We have very kind, mutually respectful and friendly relations, strategic partnership relations. And we are interested, as well as our Algerian friends, in coordinating new specific projects in the economic, investment, humanitarian, educational spheres, defense cooperation and interaction in the international arena," said Lavrov during the talks.
The meeting of the Russian and Algerian Commission for the Military-Technical Cooperation will be held before the end of the year
The meeting of the Russian-Algerian Inter-Governmental Commission on MTC will be held in the second half of 2020, said Lavrov.
"We have given a mutually positive assessment of the activity of another of our intergovernmental commissions - the commission on military and technical cooperation. The next session of this structure is also planned for the second half of this year," said Lavrov at a briefing on the results of negotiations with his Algerian counterpart.
Lavrov commented on the situation in Libya and Syria
Resolution of the situation in Libya, Syria and a number of other crises is possible only with the balance of interests of the parties and non-interference of external players, said Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.
"Of course, our countries are in favor of resolving any crisis, any conflict in an exclusively peaceful, political and diplomatic way. If we want a sustainable solution to the numerous problems of the region, in this case the Middle East and North Africa, all external players must encourage the conflicting parties to enter into a dialogue and negotiate on the basis of compromise, based on a balance of interests," said the Russian Foreign Minister at a press conference on the results of negotiations with Algerian Foreign Minister.
"Such crises as the Syrian, Middle East settlement, I mean the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, the situation in Mali and the Sahara-Sahel region in general, and, of course, the Libyan conflict, to which we have paid special attention today, can be solved by these positions," Lavrov added.
Lavrov called on the parties to the Libyan conflict to a ceasefire
Moscow is working with all the players in the Libyan crisis, paying special attention to the task of immediate cessation of hostilities, said the Russian Foreign Minister.
"We are working with each of these parties. In our contacts - with Libya's neighbors, and with other external players - we pay special attention to the task of immediate cessation of hostilities, but not as a final point in all our efforts, but as a stage that should be immediately continued in the committee to resolve military issues and in a dialogue on political settlement, taking into account all regions of Libya," Lavrov said at a press conference on the results of negotiations with Algerian Foreign Minister.
Lavrov: Russia does not bet on one side or another of the conflict in Libya
Russia has never bet on one side or another of the conflict in Libya and continues to maintain contacts with Libya now, Lavrov said.
"Unlike many other external players, Russia has never tried to place any bets in the Libyan game, we've always worked with all the political forces in Libya, received all of them in Moscow at different times and continue to maintain contacts with Libya now," he said after negotiations with the Algerian Foreign Minister.
Lavrov called for talks on Libya with all neighboring countries
Not only all parties to the conflict, but also all Libya's neighbors should participate in the negotiations on Libya's settlement.
"We are convinced that at this stage of our common efforts all Libyan parties should participate in direct negotiations, and all Libya's neighbors should have their own voice in creating conditions for inter-Libyan settlement," Lavrov said.
"We, by the way, note that our Algerian friends, like Russia, are working with all Libyan political forces without exception, and only in this, I think, is the key to the success of the future solution of this problem," - he stressed.
Lavrov: the decisions of the Berlin Conference on Libya remain relevant
Decisions of the Berlin Conference on Libya remain relevant. The ultimate goal of all efforts for the Libyan settlement should be the restoration of the sovereignty of this country, said Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.
"Both Algeria and Russia adhere to the agreements contained in the final documents of the Berlin Conference. And how they were approved by the UN Security Council. Both concrete steps and their sequence, as well as their timeframes, are clearly spelled out there. We believe that all this remains relevant," said the Russian minister.
The Berlin Conference on Libya was held on January 19, 2020. Lavrov: the decisions of the Berlin Conference on Libya remain relevant.
Decisions of the Berlin Conference on Libya remain relevant. The ultimate goal of all efforts for the Libyan settlement should be the restoration of the sovereignty of this country, said Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.
"Both Algeria and Russia adhere to the agreements contained in the final documents of the Berlin Conference. And how they were approved by the UN Security Council. Both concrete steps and their sequence, as well as their timeframes, are clearly spelled out there. We believe that all this remains relevant," said the Russian minister.
The Berlin Conference on Libya was held on January 19, 2020. Its main outcome was the call for a ceasefire and the commitment to refrain from interfering in the conflict while observing the arms embargo on the parties.
"The ultimate goal of all our efforts should be the restoration of the sovereignty, territorial integrity of Libya, restoration of Libyan statehood, which was grossly destroyed as a result of the NATO adventure in 2011 in violation of the UN Security Council resolution," Lavrov said.
Lavrov criticized the "criminal behavior of NATO colleagues" in Libya
As long as there's a split in Libya, external players will try to influence the situation, betting on one or the other leadership of the country, said the head of the Russian Foreign Ministry.
According to him, the external players, primarily non-regional ones, did not care about the fate of the Libyan people, the fate of the Libyan state, they simply destroyed the state. "They were betting on one of the Libyan parties in their geopolitical games, completely ignoring the opinion of the African Union and attempts of the African Union to normalize the situation," said Lavrov after talks with his Algerian counterpart in Moscow, adding that "it was a criminal behavior of his NATO colleagues.
He noted that the current situation in Libya reflects the unresolved problem, the unresolved agreements, which have been adopted with great difficulty since the NATO aggression.
"As long as this dichotomy, this split, there will always be risks that external players will bet on one or the other leadership, and the situation requires nothing like that, it requires bringing everyone together at the same table, helping them to work out compromises," - said the Minister.
The Algerian Foreign Ministry thanked Russia for its help in the fight against the coronavirus
Algeria is grateful to Russia for supplying medical equipment to combat the coronavirus, said Foreign Minister Sabri Boukadoum.
"As for the fight against the coronavirus, I wanted first of all to thank the Russian Federation for the assistance that it provided through Rosoboronexport, and for the supply of all necessary equipment. It has made a great contribution to the fight against this infection in Algeria," said the diplomat.
He stressed that within the framework of the signed agreement on strategic partnership Russia and Algeria have many areas of cooperation.
"We have a lot in common; we will try to strengthen and further promote different areas of bilateral relations together," Boukadoum said.
The crisis in Libya
Boukadoum believes that a solution to the Libyan crisis can be achieved only through political dialogue and negotiation.
"As for regional issues, we have come to a consensus that the Libyan crisis has no military solution, the only way is political dialogue," he said. - The integrity and sovereignty of Libya must be respected. Political dialogue as the main principle should be taken as a basis".
The Minister added that it is very important to make every effort to achieve a sustainable ceasefire and to resume the negotiation process in order to bring peace to Libya. "A political solution must be within the framework of international law and be based on the results of the Berlin Conference," emphasized Boukadoum.
"Today we have agreed with Mr. Lavrov on the mechanism of our bilateral discussions on this topic in order to find a solution to this crisis and settle the situation in the region," said the Algerian Foreign Minister.
GSV "Russia - Islamic World"
Photo: Russian Foreign Ministry
Based on materials from RIA Novosti