Russia will not provide Haftar with arms

Russia has called for Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar to be part of Libya’s political settlement with all other political forces but will not provide him with arms.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov called for Haftar to be included in the political process during the Mediterranean Dialogues conference in the Italian capital Rome last week.

However, the armed support Haftar requested during his trip to Moscow last week will not be granted by Russia with Moscow only holding political and economic interests in Libya, a Russian official told the Libya Herald.

During his trip to Moscow, Haftar held talks with Lavrov and Russian Defence Minister Sergey Shoigu. However, no gains were made in the discussions.

After Lavrov’s meeting with Haftar last week, the Russian foreign minister phoned Presidency Council member Ahmed Maetig for similar talks on the situation in Libya.

Lavrov confirmed in Rome that Russia was in contact with all Libyan parties including House of Representatives President Ageela Saleh and Presidency Council head Fayez Sarraj.

While Russia supports the Libyan Political Agreement and the Presidency Council, it will not recognise any government of national accord until it has been approved by the HoR.