SOCHI, October 2. /TASS/. Too many international players are present in Libya now, hindering the settlement in the country, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told the 16th annual session of the Valdai International Discussion Club on Wednesday.

"In Libya, the situation is much worse, although efforts are also seen there on establishing some inclusive dialogue, but there are too many foreign players there. So far, the efforts to launch a stable process [of settlement] have failed," Lavrov said.

Currently, there are two governments in Libya: Tripoli’s Government of National Accord led by Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj, recognized by the international community, and the interim Cabinet of Abdullah Al-Thani that is acting in the country’s east together with the elected parliament as supported by the Libyan National Army.

In early April, Field Marshal of the Libyan National Army Khalifa Haftar declared an offensive against Tripoli with the goal of eliminating all terror groups there. In his turn, the head of the Tripoli-based Government of National Accord Fayez al-Sarraj ordered all military units loyal to him to gear up to defend the capital. The armed groups based in the capital have launched the Volcano of Anger campaign to combat the assault. The armed confrontation has left hundreds of people dead, while thousands of Libyans have been forced to flee their homes and important infrastructure facilities have been damaged.

IS followers activities in Africa

Members of the Islamic State (IS) terrorist organization (outlawed in Russia) have intertwined with other terrorist groups active on the territory of Africa, threatening half of the African continent, Russia's top diplomat stated.

"The IS members have closely intertwined with terrorist groups in Africa: al-Qaeda (outlawed in Russia) in Islamic Maghreb, Boko Haram, Al-Shabaab. And now, this international terrorists' group is terrorizing half the African continent, especially in the Sahel-Sahara region," he said.

According to Lavrov, Western states consider the situation in the Middle East, namely in Syria, from the viewpoint of geopolitical strife, and not of terrorism. "This is the reality when the winners of the Cold War have sensed their impunity, choosing to do whatever they want. Upon request of the lawful Syrian government, we have stood up for the Syrian state, its sovereignty and territorial integrity. In the end, we have managed to avoid such a scenario in the Syrian Arab Republic, which has caused a tense reaction of our Western partners," the Russian diplomat added during the session dubbed "Middle East in the General Context of Russia’s Policy."

US in Iran

US attempts to isolate Iran and force it into submission are short-sighted, Sergey Lavrov claimed.

"Unfortunately, Washington set out to demonize the Islamic Republic of Iran, isolate and force it into surrender. I don’t think that this is a forward-looking policy," Lavrov said.

"The accusations against Iran hurled in various manners are not grounded in any convincing facts. Meanwhile the US withdrawal from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action [JCPOA — TASS] naturally was a classic case of disregarding international law and the UN Security Council decisions. However, not only did the US refuse to observe these decisions, it also forbids other countries to honor this very JCPOA and comply with the UN Security Council resolution, threatening [them] with sanctions," the foreign minister added.

The JCPOA was signed between Iran and the UN Security Council permanent members (Russia, the UK, China, the US and France) and Germany in 2015. The deal restricted Tehran’s nuclear development in exchange for lifting the UN sanctions and the unilateral restrictions imposed by the US and the EU. On May 8, 2018, US President Donald Trump announced Washington’s withdrawal from the JCPOA. Exactly a year later, President of Iran Hassan Rouhani announced that Iran was suspending a part of its obligations to the nuclear deal.

Russia’s goal in Middle East

Moscow’s objective is to prevent the Middle East from turning into a terrorist refuge, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told the 16th annual session of the Valdai International Discussion Club on Wednesday.

"Our common goal, as I understand, is still to prevent this region from turning into a sanctuary for terrorists, and this trend is evident, namely in Libya. This is a very serious situation," Lavrov pointed out.

As for Russia's military presence in Syria, this is done to maintain peace and security in the country, according to the top diplomat.

"We seek to keep our military presence in Syria, and we will use this presence only for maintaining security and peace in the country and in the region as a whole," Lavrov stressed.

"Flashes of common sense" in Russia-US contacts on Middle East

Russia sees "flashes of common sense" in the contacts with the United States on the Middle East, the Russian foreign minister noted.

"There are flashes of common sense in the contacts with our American and Western colleagues [on the situation in the Middle East]," Lavrov pointed out.

"They clenched their teeth but still welcomed the agreements reached at the Astana peace talks between the Syrian government and opposition to establish the Constitutional Committee and agree its rules and principles," the minister added.

On September 23, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres announced the creation of the Syrian Constitutional Committee. Later, UN Special Envoy for Syria Geir Pedersen reported that the committee would hold its first meeting in Geneva on October 30.

The decision to set up a constitutional committee was agreed on at the Syrian National Dialogue Congress, held in the Russian Black Sea resort of Sochi on January 30, 2018. According to the plan proposed by former UN Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura (Pedersen’s predecessor), the committee is made up of 150 people, 50 delegates to be fielded by Damascus, opposition and civil societies each. Each group is also obliged to name 15 experts to take part in meetings held in Geneva behind closed doors.

"US benefits from Middle East turmoil"

The US benefits from the unstable situation in the Middle East, the Russian foreign minister believes.

"If you study the American military interference campaigns, you will see that they are basically aimed at coercing the corresponding sides to follow the directives of Washington. And Washington usually finds this unending turmoil necessary, or beneficial, because the USA is far away, but it establishes military bases. They can always decide which side is more beneficial to support, where the oil will flow, where the gas comes from, where they can sell some of their weapons," he said.

"Reckless experiments" in Middle East

The Middle East has become a platform for reckless political experiments, which have already led to tragic consequences, Sergey Lavrov claimed.

"The Middle East is the cradle of many civilizations, world religions, and, of course, this issue has become very topical today, when it has turned into a platform for reckless experiments that led to tragic consequences," he said during the session dubbed "Middle East in the General Context of Russia’s Policy."

"The misadventures with regime change in Iraq and Libya have led to the destruction of these countries’ statehood. Iraq at least managed to return its statehood to a more or less normal condition. We actively support our Iraqi colleagues, namely through increasing the capacity of their security forces, their army in the fight against the remainder of terrorist groups," the minister continued.

Lavrov recalled that in the 1970s-1980s, when the Soviet Union had a military presence in Afghanistan, the US supported the resistance of the Mujahideen, providing them with weapons and other necessary resources. "This led to the creation of Al-Qaeda [terrorist group outlawed in Russia — TASS], which is still thriving. On September 11, 2001, it struck the United States. Back then, they needed to come to a conclusion that it is wrong to expect that terrorists can be controlled, it is wrong to bet on them to fulfill one’s geopolitical agenda," he noted.

Russia hails possible Iran-US contacts on nuclear deal

Russia will welcome any contacts between Iran and the United States on a nuclear deal if they take place, Sergey Lavrov said.

"Frankly speaking, I do not rule out that a US-Iranian meeting, including at the highest level, could take place at any stage. [US President Donald] Trump stated that [Iranian President Hassan] Rouhani had said that he was ready for this but sanctions should be stopped first," Lavrov stressed.

"Everything is possible in this world and let’s say the US administration’s style admits the possibility of any decisions, any contacts and we will welcome this. We will be only glad if these problems around the JCPOA [Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action on the Iranian nuclear program] are considered in an honest and fair manner," Lavrov said.

US, Iran seeking to avoid war in Persian Gulf

The US and Iran, along with the majority of the Persian Gulf states, wish to avoid war in the region, Sergey Lavrov said on Wednesday.

"One can never be sure of anything, however, I think that neither the US, nor Iran wishes for a war. Neither do the majority of the regional states," Lavrov stated.