Russia maintains contacts with all leading political forces in Libya and hopes that the postponement of the general elections there, originally planned for December 2021, will not trigger an escalation of military and political tensions, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said in an address to the participants in the 11th Middle East conference of the Valdai International Discussion Club.
The address was read out by Russian presidential envoy to the Middle East and African countries and Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov.
“On our part, we maintain sustainable and balanced ties with all leading political forces in the west, east, and south of Libya. Both in the bilateral format and at international venues, we are trying to push Libyan politicians toward constructive dialogue in the search for compromise solutions. We hope that the postponement of the general elections originally scheduled for December 24, 2021, will not provoke an escalation of military and political tensions and will not slow down the political process,” Lavrov said in the address.
According to the Russian top diplomat, a major achievement is that no high-intensity combat operations have been reported from Libya for more than a year. Major positive changes have taken place in Libya over this period. Supported by the international community, the country’s residents are “gradually overcoming the mistrust that has piled up over the years of turmoil, and are learning to speak with each other and fond compromises.” Unified interim power bodies were formed in 2021, “the process of the unification of state structures, financial and economic institutions has begun.”