MOSCOW, April 18. /TASS/. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu have reaffirmed their commitment to aid Libyan conflict settlement during a phone call on Thursday, the Russian Foreign Ministry said.
The sides have exchanged opinions on the current situation in Libya, expressing "concern over a serious escalation of the situation due to unceasing clashes between various armed groups in Tripoli that have led to numerous casualties." "The Russian side stressed that the profound crisis that enveloped Libya is a direct consequence of NATO’s 2011 intervention," the Russian Foreign Ministry noted.
"[The ministers] have confirmed their mutual commitment to aid the ceasefire and peace between the conflicting sides strictly through political-diplomatic dialogue on the basis of the UN Libya Action Plan," the ministry noted.
Currently, Libya has two supreme executive authorities, namely Tripoli’s government of National Accord recognized by the international community and headed by Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj, and the interim government headed by Prime Minister Abdullah al-Thani, which operates in the country’s east along with the elected parliament and is supported by the Libyan National Army.
On April 4, Field Marshal of the Libyan National Army Khalifa Haftar announced the launch of an offensive against Tripoli. Sarraj ordered all military units loyal to him to gear up to defend the capital. The warring factions are currently involved in battles along the outskirts of Tripoli.
