Russia rejects accusations that it allegedly supported the Libyan National Army led by Khalifa Haftar's offensive on Tripoli in 2019, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said on Thursday.
"Russia has been an active participant in international efforts to resolve the armed confrontation between the east and west of Libya since the beginning and has done so in various international arenas. We are communicating with all Libyan parties, urging them to stop the fratricidal feud. We reject insinuations that our country allegedly supported the Libyan National Army's offensive against Tripoli in 2019," Zakharova said at a briefing.
This is how the Russian diplomat responded to US criticism of Russia on the "Libyan dossier," adding that it was Washington that "committed overt armed aggression" against the Arab country. Zakharova noted that after these events, "for a long time, the United States itself actually withdrew from resolving the crisis that had arisen through its own fault".
In Libya, there is an ongoing confrontation between the Government of National Accord (GNA), which controls Tripoli and the territories in the west, and the Libyan National Army (LNA), led by Marshal Khalifa Haftar, which cooperates with the parliament sitting in the east. The GNA is supported by Turkey and Qatar, and the LNA by Egypt and the UAE. The Russian Foreign Ministry stated that the goal of efforts in Libya should be to restore the country's sovereignty and statehood.
GSV "Russia - Islamic World"
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Based on materials from RIA Novosti