The US military command in Africa said that Russia continues to search for a foothold in Libya, while several parties reiterated their need to adopt a political solution in the country.
US Africom added in a tweet on Twitter that it has growing evidence that Russia, through the Wagner Group, continues to deploy ground and air military equipment in Libya.
On the other hand, President of the Presidential Council of the Libyan National Accord Government, Fayez al-Sarraj, and the US Ambassador to Turkey David Satterfield, stressed the importance of reopening oil fields in Libya and resuming export under the management of the National Oil Corporation.
Al-Sarraj and Satterfield agreed - in their meeting in Istanbul - on the need for a political solution to the Libyan crisis, and the need to adhere to UN Security Council Resolution 2510 and the outputs of the Berlin Conference.
This meeting comes a day after a phone call made by the American Ambassador to Libya Richard Norland with the Speaker of the Libyan Parliament in Tobruk Aqila Saleh, during which they discussed the resumption of oil production in the country.
LIBYA: #Russia & the #Wagner Group continue to be involved in both ground & air operations in #Libya
——
“The type and volume of equipment demonstrates an intent toward sustained offensive combat action capabilities, not humanitarian relief,” said Gering.
- US AFRICOM (@USAfricaCommand) July 24, 2020
Al-Sarraj and Qatar's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdul-Rahman Al-Thani, also affirmed that the political solution to the Libyan crisis should be carried out in accordance with the Skhirat Agreement, Security Council resolutions and the outputs of the Berlin Conference.
This came while the two sides discussed the latest developments in Libya, and they agreed - in their meeting in Istanbul - to activate cooperation relations in a number of areas.
In a parallel context, the Russian Foreign Ministry said that Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Turkish-born Mevlüt Çavuşoوlu agreed in a telephone call on the need to continue exchanging views on the normalization of the situation and the cessation of hostilities in Libya.
The statement stated that the two ministers stressed the importance of continuing coordination with the aim of establishing a dialogue between the Libyans with the participation of the United Nations.