ST. PETERSBURG, July 28. /TASS/. Libya needs genuine national unity to prevent the country from becoming an arena for confrontation between third countries, Russian President Vladimir Putin said at a plenary session of the second Russia-Africa Summit.

"What is fundamental is that a ceasefire was finally achieved in Libya. It’s crucial to establish genuine national unity and prevent Libya from being transformed into an arena for confrontation between third countries. Russia, for its part, understands the difficulties inherent in this process and will do everything it can to facilitate the positive trend in interactions with all of Libya’s [domestic] forces," Putin pointed out.

He added that he was looking forward to thoroughly discussing the issue with the Libyan leadership.

The second Russia-Africa Summit, along with an economic and humanitarian forum, is taking place in the Russian city of St. Petersburg on July 27-28. Similar to the first such event in 2019, the summit is being held under the rubric "For Peace, Security and Development." The event is being organized by the Roscongress Foundation. TASS, which is the official information partner and photo-hosting agency of the summit and forum, is also hosting the second Russia-Africa Media Forum.