Participants at the international conference on Libya in Paris confirmed the need for a phased and uniform withdrawal of foreign troops from Libyan territory, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told reporters on Friday.
"The withdrawal must be complete, and it must be carried out in stages, gradually and necessarily synchronized, as far as the withdrawal of those who support the west of Libya and those who support the east," he said.
According to Lavrov, this approach will make it possible to preserve the balance of forces, thanks to which it has been possible to maintain a truce in Libya for more than a year.
The minister noted that previous agreements on Libya were confirmed at the conference. "As for the withdrawal of foreign military groups, armed forces and so on, the decision that was made today confirmed the formula concluded in the final document of the Berlin conference in July this year, and the formula that just a couple of weeks ago the Military Committee of the Libyan parties, the so-called 5+5, wrote down in its decisions," Lavrov said.
Earlier, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressed concern about the continued presence of foreign troops in Libya despite agreements on their withdrawal. Libya's 5+5 Joint Military Committee announced Friday that Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar's Libyan National Army would withdraw 300 mercenaries from areas under its control at France's request.
GSV "Russia - Islamic World"
Photo: Russian Foreign Ministry
Based on materials from TASS