MOSCOW, December 26. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin has discussed peaceful resolution of the Libyan crisis with Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte during a phone call on Thursday.
"They have discussed the situation in Libya. Both sides have stressed the need to resolve the crisis in a peaceful way. In this regard, they expressed support of the efforts of the international community on aiding inter-Libyan regulation mediated by the UN," the Kremlin press service informed on Thursday on the outcomes of the phone call.
Putin and Conte also discussed the situation in Syria, along with the key bilateral matters. "They have confirmed their mutual commitment to the development of Russian-Italian cooperation," the press service informed.
Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said earlier on Thursday that Russia is interested in finding a peaceful solution to the Libyan crisis as soon as possible. "As for the situation in Libya, it definitely causes much concern, and we, too, are concerned," he said.
When commenting on Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s plans to send troops to Libya, Peskov said: "We believe that foreign interference will hardly help settle the situation but any activities to facilitate efforts to resolve the conflict and help the parties to find a solution are always welcome. Russia can only welcome international efforts," he emphasized.
Erdogan said earlier on Thursday that a legislation for deploying troops to Libya would be presented to the Turkish parliament in January. He said, however, that Ankara would not sent troops to Libya without Tripoli’s request.
Libya crisis
There currently are two governments in Libya: the internationally recognized Government of National Accord (GNA) headed by Fayez al-Sarraj, which is headquartered in the country’s capital of Tripoli, and Abdullah al-Thani’s cabinet based in the country’s east, which has the support of the Libyan National Army (LNA) led by Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar.
On December 12, Haftar announced the launch of a crucial offensive aimed at taking control of the country’s capital. The LNA has repeatedly stated that it would oppose any foreign interference in Libya’s domestic affairs and threatened to sink ships and shoot down cargo aircraft carrying military aid from Turkey.