Russia continues to insist that the problem in Libya can only be solved by political and diplomatic methods. This was stated today by the Press Secretary of the President of the Russian Federation Dmitry Peskov.
"Moscow is still convinced that the only possible settlement in Libya can be on the political and diplomatic tracks, political and diplomatic communication between all parties, primarily those in conflict. Russia continues to stay in contact with all participants in the Libyan process, and we believe that there are no other options to resolve the Libyan problem," the Kremlin's official representative said.
The commander of the Libyan National Army (LNA) Khalifa Haftar announced withdrawing from the Skhirat agreement on the formation of a Government of National Accord (GNA) and that the country's governance is being transferred to the army.
"The General Command of the Armed Forces assumes the leadership of the country and announces the termination of the Skhirat agreement. Despite the heavy burden of responsibility, we accept the will of the people and the mandate delegated to them," the statement reads.
The LNA, Haftar said, will work to create conditions for the formation of permanent civil institutions of the state "in accordance with the will of the people."
"People should be masters of their own destiny and choose their future through democracy. From the very first day, our goal was to protect the will of Libyans," he wrote, adding that the Skhirat agreement "destroyed the country, put it in a dangerous position, and now it has become part of the dark past."
The Skhirat agreement was signed in December 2015 in the Moroccan Skhirat. It is based on the UN peace plan, which provides for the establishment of authorities in Libya, in particular the Government of National Accord and the Presidential Council (acting as the head of state). These structures are headed by the Prime Minister Faiz Sarraj and are based in Tripoli.
The House of Representatives (the elected permanent Parliament) has repeatedly pointed out that despite international recognition, the GNA has lost its legitimacy because it has not received parliamentary approval, as required by the Skhirat agreement.
The Presidential Council of the Government of National Accord of Libya called Haftar's statement a farce and an attempt at a new coup in the country.
For his part, the head of the Federation Council's International Affairs Committee Konstantin Kosachev said that the current situation with the withdrawal of the Libyan national army from the Skhirat agreement was alarming since there was no alternative to the Skhirat agreements.
"Overcoming this crisis is possible only through mutual concessions and compromises leading to the restoration of national accord. This is what was spelled out in the 2015 agreement, which I personally do not see an alternative to," he said to Interfax.
Chairman of the State Duma Committee on International Affairs Leonid Slutsky considers the statement of the LNA that the country's administration is being transferred to the army as a traditional information attack for Tobruk .
"From my point of view, Haftar's statement is like an attempt in the information space to declare that the only right force is him, it is the army," the Agency quoted the parliamentarian as saying.
According to Slutsky, the purpose of such statements is "once again to refute any legitimacy of any party opposite to him, in particular the Sarraj government, in the political and especially in the information space".
"This statement does not open any new phase or a new round in this difficult bleeding situation, which, unfortunately, continues in the country," he said.
Moscow is surprised by the statements of Khalifa Haftar about the transition of power in Libya and insists that there is no military solution to the conflict, source in the Russian Foreign Ministry told RIA Novosti.
"This is surprising. There are decisions of the Berlin Summit, and the main thing is the UN Security Council Resolution 2510, which must be implemented. "First of all, the Libyans themselves, with the assistance of the international community and the UN Secretary-General," the source said.
"We are in favor of continuing an inclusive inter-Libyan dialogue within the political process; there is no military solution to the conflict," the message says.
He added that earlier, the speaker of the House of Representatives (Parliament - ed.) Aguila Saleh, sitting in the East of the country, made an address on the occasion of the beginning of Ramadan and that it "was a very balanced performance". "He put forward a number of interesting proposals," the source said.
Expert of the Russian Institute for Strategic studies Vladimir Fitin commented on the situation in Libya. In his opinion, the statements of the warring parties will not be followed by changes.
"There are no radical changes. It makes no sense to focus on the statements of the leaders of the warring parties since each of them is talking about their imminent victory. Therefore, another statement by Haftar does not give anything new. The situation remains uncertain, with no one gaining a decisive advantage, given that Haftar said in April last year that he was going to take Tripoli and fully unite Libya under his leadership. This is all just words. Basically, everything depends on the amount of assistance from external sponsors that each of the warring parties receives," Vladimir Fitin believes.
After the overthrow and death of the Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, there is a dual power in Libya. The East is ruled by a Parliament elected by the people, and the West, in the capital Tripoli, - by the Government of National Accord formed with the support of the UN and the European Union, headed by Fayez Sarraj. The authorities in the Eastern part of the country operate independently of Tripoli and cooperate with the Libyan National Army led by Marshal Haftar, who has not stopped trying to capture Tripoli since April 2019.
GSV "Russia - Islamic World"
Photo: Michael Metzel / TASS