"Fake American statements": the Russian Foreign Ministry responded to a US message on the interception of "counterfeit" currency for Libya

The Russian Foreign Ministry reacted to the US statement that the authorities in Malta confiscated a batch of supposedly fake Libyan dinars made by the Russian Goznak. The Russian Ministry said that Washington’s statements were untrue.

Earlier, a statement appeared on the website of the US State Department that the authorities in Malta intercepted a batch of supposedly “counterfeit” Libyan dinars. At the same time, the total amount of banknotes in terms of American currency amounted to $ 1.1 billion.

The statement said that the order to print money allegedly came from an "illegal parallel organization", and not the Libyan Central Bank in Tripoli, while Goznak printed the money.

The State Department said that "the influx of counterfeit Libyan currency printed in Russia, recently aggravated the economic problems of Libya." 

“This incident once again underlines that Russia needs to stop its disastrous and destabilizing actions in Libya,” the State Department said.

Commenting on such statements by the American side, the Russian Foreign Ministry noted that the contract for printing Libyan dinars was signed in 2015 between Gosznak and the head of the Central Bank of Libya, approved by the Chamber of Deputies (Libyan parliament. - RT ). After that, the Libyan side made the necessary prepayment.

“As part of the fulfillment of its contractual obligations, the Russian organization sent a shipment of printed Libyan banknotes to the Central Bank in the city of Tobruk. At the same time, we proceed from the fact that these funds are necessary to maintain the stable functioning of the entire Libyan economy, ”the department explained.

The Russian Foreign Ministry also recalled that in the context of de facto diarchy in Libya, there are currently two Central Banks. 

“Thus, not the Libyan dinars, but the American statements are false. Russia has consistently advocated that there is no alternative to a political settlement within the framework of a broad inter-Libyan dialogue, strict adherence to decisions adopted by the international community on Libyan issues, ”the department concluded.

Recall that the crisis in Libya began in 2011 after the overthrow and assassination of Muammar Gaddafi, whose regime actually operated in the country for about 40 years. After his fall in Libya, two opposing centers of power appeared. In the north-east of the country there is an interim government led by Abdullah at-Thani, appointed by the parliament in Tobruk. It relies on the Libyan National Army, led by Khalifa Haftar. In the northwest, in Tripoli, there is a government of national accord, led by Faiz Sarraj.

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• © Esam Omran Al-Fetori

Russia, together with several other countries, advocates for a settlement of the situation in Libya. In particular, in January, an international conference on this issue was held in Berlin. According to Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, the event was useful, but differences remain between the parties to the Libyan conflict. In the final communiqué, the parties reaffirmed their commitment to the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Libya. World leaders also called for a ban on the supply of weapons to the country and stated the need to guarantee the safety of oil facilities.

The first deputy chairman of the Federation Council committee on international affairs, Vladimir Dzhabarov, in a conversation with RT called the statement by the American side “a fake of pure water.”

“I don’t know who provokes this, maybe the Maltese authorities themselves. Is Russia really nothing more to do? Who needs fake Libyan money? There, already, the state practically does not exist. What is the point of destabilizing the situation there if it is already destabilized already? The Russian authorities would not allow this to happen in Goznak, ”he said.

The senator emphasized that such statements are a provocation that has nothing to do with Russian policy.

The deputy chairman of the State Duma committee on international affairs, Alexei Chepa, said in an interview with RT that such accusations cannot be made without providing evidence.

“It would never occur to a normal politician to blame someone for something without evidence. But the Americans, as always, are not going to prove anything, ”the deputy concluded.