Russia expects at the second Berlin conference on Libya, which will be held in the German capital on June 23, to confirm the UN Security Council resolution to promote the political process in Libya on the basis of preserving its sovereignty and integrity, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Vershinin, who is representing Russia at the event, told reporters in Berlin on Tuesday.
"I am now meeting with the leading participants - the Germans as organizers and the Turks and the Egyptians. It is clear what we want - we want a confirmation of what has already been taken, a decision based on a Security Council resolution, the advancement of the political process in Libya based on a commitment to its sovereignty and integrity," the diplomat said.
Last January 19 Berlin hosted the first conference on the Libyan settlement at the level of heads of state and government, including Russia. In the final document, its participants called for a cease-fire, the creation 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 statehood, lost after the NATO intervention in 2011.
The situation in the country
In Libya, until recently, there were two parallel executive bodies - the Government of National Accord (GNA) of Fayez Sarraj in Tripoli and the Libyan National Army (LNA) and parliament-supported interim cabinet in the east of the country. Armed formations of the opposing sides fought protracted battles.
On October 23 last year in Geneva, participants in a five-plus-five committee, which included five militaries each from the GNA and LNA formations, signed a permanent cease-fire agreement. As a result, in early February, after UN-mediated negotiations, the prime minister of a unified government, Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh, and three members of Libya's presidential council were elected. Both were sworn in on 15 March and assumed their duties in Tripoli. Their main task is to unify the disparate power structures throughout the country and to prepare and conduct Libya's presidential and parliamentary elections on December 24, 2021.
On Saturday, the UN Support Mission in Libya announced its intention to hold a meeting of the Libyan Political Dialogue Forum in Switzerland from June 28 to July 1.
GSV "Russia - Islamic World"
Photo: Valery Sharifulin / TASS
Based on materials from TASS