Benghazi— The Deputy Commander of the Libyan National Army (LNA), Lieutenant General Saddam Haftar, has made an important two-day official visit to Moscow upon the invitation of the Russian government during which military cooperation between the LNA and the Russian Ministry of Defense was discussed.
On Thursday, General Saddam Haftar met with the Deputy Head of the Russian Presidential Administration, Mr. Sergei Kiriyenko, and the Russian Minister of Defense, Mr. Andrey Belousov.
According to the Media Office of the General Command of the LNA, “the meeting addressed the latest international and regional developments and discussed ways to enhance military cooperation between the two sides, particularly in the areas of training, capacity building, and readiness programs.”
Both sides “emphasized the importance of coordinating efforts to strengthen regional security and stability and their commitment to developing the strategic partnership in a way that serves the common interests of both countries,” the Media Office added.
Moscow seems to be keen on strengthening its relations with both rival governments in eastern and western Libya, especially in light of the security developments in the African Sahel and the latest terrorist attacks in Mali.
On 26 April, the Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov held talks in Moscow with the acting FM of the Government of National Unity (GNU), Taher Baour, during which it was announced that the Libyan-Russian Joint Committee would meet in the near future after a 25-year hiatus.
A statement issued by the Russian Foreign Ministry indicated that both sides acknowledged “the urgent need to resume the activities of the Russian-Libyan Joint Governmental Committee for Trade, Economic, Scientific, and Technical Cooperation, which is expected to serve as the main coordination mechanism for bilateral cooperation in trade and economic fields.”
For his part, Mr. Lavrov emphasized that his country’s primary objective is to help restore unity and national harmony in Libya, noting Moscow’s readiness to support these efforts. He added that Russia, through its meetings and contacts with various Libyan parties, is keen to engage with all regions of the country, contributing to the process of unifying and stabilizing the state.
He also said that Moscow appreciated what he described as the “balanced and neutral stance” taken by the Libyans when the Ukraine issue is raised at the United Nations.
Lavrov explained that his country has assessed the current stage of developments related to the Ukrainian crisis, noting that the Libyans “understand the root causes of this situation.”
The Russian minister’s statement came after Russia accused Ukraine of launching an attack on the gas tanker “Arctic Metagas” in the Mediterranean Sea, originating from the Libyan coast. Moscow described the incident as an “act of international terrorism” that threatens the safety of maritime navigation.
The Russian Ministry of Transport had previously stated that the tanker, which was carrying liquefied natural gas from the Arctic port of Murmansk, was attacked by drones belonging to the Ukrainian Navy.
