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Top Russian diplomat calls for African Union’s involvement in talks on Libya

Sergei Lavrov drew attention to the fact that many countries had expressed their concern about the memorandum of understanding signed by Turkey and Libya’s Government of National Accord on maritime jurisdiction

ROME, December 6. /TASS/. The African Union should be a full-fledged participant in the talks on resolving the situation in Libya, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Friday.

"Any steps that are taken on the ground, on paper, should take into account the delicacy of the situation to make sure that all those who have something to do with the Libyan crisis act together and that they gather around the same table, including the African Union, which, for some reason, is undeservedly pushed aside from negotiations on the Libyan issue," he told reporters at a joint news conference with his Italian counterpart Luigi Di Mayo.

Lavrov drew attention to the fact that many countries had expressed their concern about the memorandum of understanding signed by Turkey and Libya’s Government of National Accord on maritime jurisdiction. Moreover, Libya’s recognized Tobruk-based parliament expressed its disagreement with the document, he added.

"The situation in Libya is very complicated, because there are too many players there, too many questions are asked as to who is the most legitimate. There is a UN Security Council decision that must be respected," Lavrov added.

On November 28, an agreement on military cooperation between Turkey and Libya’s Government of National Accord was signed in Istanbul. The two sides also inked a memorandum of understanding on maritime jurisdiction, which triggered criticism from Greece. The Greek Foreign Ministry summoned the Turkish ambassador for explanations regarding the document, which, Greece argues, ignores its geographical interests and violates third countries’ sovereign rights. The internationally recognized Libyan parliament likewise rejected the agreements, which Prime Minister of the Government of National Accord Fayez al-Sarraj had reached with Turkey.