Libya's eastern-based government's Foreign Minister, Mohamed Dayri

    

Foreign intervention is “frustrating progress” towards a political solution in Libya, according to the eastern Beida government’s Foreign Minister, Mohamed Dayri.

The official was speaking during his third public visit to Moscow yesterday, where he held talks with Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister, Mikhail Bogdanov, in whom he confided that Libya’s political, security and economic crisis was being prolonged due primarily to external intervention in the country’s affairs.

The fragile conditions in the country were being antagonised by the threat of terrorism in the country, Dayri warned. According to reports from Moscow, Russia will continue to back a broad intra-Libyan dialogue under plans outlined by the UN and would maintain in contact with representatives of Libya’s different political forces to secure a deal.

Dayri’s Moscow trip comes a fortnight after Presidency Council (PC) Foreign Minister, Mohamed Siala, visited Russia to discuss matters with Foreign Minister, Sergei Lavrov.

According to the Russian foreign ministry statement, Bogdanov and Dayri also discussed “some practical aspects of Russian-Libyan relations” which were not disclosed.

Russia has played a growing influential role in the war-torn country with eastern leader and military strongman Khalifa Haftar attending talks in Moscow regularly and seeking further armament deals. Russia is meanwhile looking to extend its influence in the region and be the main broker of talks whilst adhering to a strict non-military intervention in the country which countries – including Egypt – have failed to comply with.

Algeria, Tunisia and Egypt have been pushing for a non-military based solution to the political stagnation in the country by encouraging Libya’s warring factions to reconcile.