The US Department of State has accused Russia of trying to “exploit the conflict” in Libya for its own interests. This is stated in the statement of the foreign ministry following the results of the round of the US-Libyan security dialogue that ended in Washington.
"The US delegation, representing a number of US government bodies, emphasized maintaining the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Libya in the context of Russia's attempts to use the existing conflict for their own purposes without taking into account the will of the Libyan people," the statement said.
At the same time, the State Department refrained from detailing the allegations against Moscow and providing relevant evidence.
The department noted that the round of US-Libyan security dialogue began in Washington between the US government and the Libyan National Unity Government (PNS), "represented by Foreign Minister Mohammed Siala and Home Secretary Fathi Bashaga."
The Libyan side expressed "deep concern about the security situation and the related consequences for the civilian population." The United States, in turn, called on the Libyan National Army (LNA) Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar "to stop the attack on Tripoli."
“This will facilitate further US-Libyan cooperation in preventing illegal foreign interference, strengthening the legitimacy of state power and resolving the problems underlying the conflict,” the State Department said.
Washington responded to the allegations in Moscow, stressing that any attempts to accuse Russia of trying to use the conflict in Libya in its own interests are "groundless, as well as allegations that ... military personnel" of the Russian Federation are allegedly located there. This was stated by the first deputy chairman of the Federation Council Committee on Foreign Affairs Vladimir Dzhabarov. According to him, such allegations by the American side cannot be called anything other than “stupidity”.
“It would be better if they remembered who brewed the Libyan porridge itself, who condoned the assassination of Gaddafi, after which the Libyan state, in fact, collapsed. It was the United States, ”the senator of RIA Novosti quotes.
“Justify the pressure”
Recall, last week, The New York Times published material stating that about 200 "Russian mercenaries" allegedly arrived in Libya.
According to the publication, Russia at this stage "is much more frankly trying to influence the outcome of a complicated civil war in the country."
“She (RF. - RT ) uses advanced Sukhoi fighter jets, delivers coordinated missile attacks and uses high-precision artillery, and also uses snipers,” the newspaper writes.
In the Russian Foreign Ministry, in turn, such messages were called speculation. According to Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov, such "stuffing has a negative impact and the general atmosphere in the United States, unfortunately, does not contribute to the normalization of relations (between the two countries. - RT)."
- Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergey Ryabkov
- RIA News
- © Maxim Blinov
“I categorically reject such speculation. We are acting in the interests of a Libyan settlement, we support appropriate efforts, including through the UN, we are in dialogue with those who influence the situation in one way or another, ”RIA Novosti quoted him as saying.
Ryabkov also pointed out that the American media had repeatedly disseminated "all sorts of fables, malicious rumors" about the Russian side.
As Konstantin Blokhin, a leading employee of the Security Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences, noted in an interview with RT, the US is trying to discern a “Russian trace” in any problem that arises in the world.
“This is done to demonize Moscow, justify further pressure on it, and also consolidate its allies,” the analyst said in a conversation with RT.
This opinion is shared by the expert of the International Institute for Humanitarian and Political Studies Vladimir Bruter.
“The United States does not have to blame Russia for some real reason - they can bring charges because they just want it. Washington seeks to convict Moscow of everything that is happening on this planet, ”Bruter said in an interview with RT.
He also recalled that Russia has always advocated the end of the Libyan conflict, the country's transition to peaceful life and "the liberation of the state from foreign mercenaries and troops."
“They can blame themselves”
Political scientists also recall that although the United States is now making unreasonable accusations against Moscow, it was they who, along with their NATO allies, helped unleash an armed conflict in Libya.
The civil war in the Arab country began in 2011, when the confrontation between the legitimate government of Muammar Gaddafi and the forces of the Transitional National Council, supported by the United States, as well as their allies in the Middle East and Europe, intensified.
- Destruction in Tripoli
- Reuters
- © Mahmud TURKIA
In the spring of the same year, an international coalition, consisting mainly of countries of the North Atlantic Alliance, launched a military intervention in Libya, in the framework of which several large-scale operations were carried out. As a result, thanks to the mediation of Western countries, the opposition was able to take control of almost the entire territory of the country. He was bullied and killed by Muammar Gaddafi. After that, the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Amnesty International and the Russian Foreign Ministry demanded a thorough investigation into the death of the Libyan leader.
There are actually two centers of executive power in Libya now - the Faiz Saraj government (national consent government, PNS) recognized by the international community in Tripoli and the interim cabinet of Abdullah Abdurrahman at-Thani, supported by the Libyan national army of Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar. The situation in the country worsened in April, when Haftar gave the order to launch an attack on Tripoli, where the PNS is currently based.
According to Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, “the protracted crisis in Libya is a direct result of NATO’s illegitimate military intervention.”
“As a result, this country plunged into chaos, became a source of regional instability, a hotbed of terrorism,” the head of the ministry said in an interview with the Egyptian newspaper Al-Ahram.
As Lavrov noted, Moscow’s task is to help the Libyans overcome the differences and reach stable agreements “on the parameters of national reconciliation”.
In addition, the Russian Foreign Minister said that the Russian side supports the efforts of the Special Representative of the UN Secretary General to implement the developed roadmap for normalizing the situation in Libya through fair and free general elections and constitutional reform. ”
“Washington created a situation that allowed to overthrow Gaddafi and led to a civil war in the country, split along religious and ethnic lines. Libya was divided into warring factions, as happened with Somalia and Yemen. All this was a direct consequence of the fact that the United States decided to establish “friendly” regimes in the countries of North Africa, which are oil exporters, ”Bruter believes.
In his opinion, the United States “achieved its goal as a whole”: Libya, as a prosperous stable country, a major oil exporter, ceased to exist.
"Washington will not now somehow change the situation in Libya for the better, it suits them well," the expert predicts.
According to him, the United States is not beneficial for the civil war in Libya to end.
“The worst option for the United States is if the future Libyan leadership does not go in the wake of Washington, but maintain normal relations with both European countries and Russia. Americans are afraid that in this way they will lose control over the situation and their influence in the region, ”the analyst explained.
At the same time, Bruter notes, “Russia cannot unilaterally solve all the problems of the Libyan settlement,” however, no matter how events unfold, political forces in Libya will most likely maintain relations with Moscow.
“A settlement in Libya cannot be the result of someone else’s military victory. In order for the Libyan conflict to be completed, its parties must understand that they should make some concessions, recreate a common national authority, and end attempts to solve the situation by military means, ”the expert summed up.