By Sami Zaptia.
London, 26 July 2019:
A delegation from the breakaway Tripoli Libyan Parliament, the House of Representatives (HoR), paid an official visit to Moscow on Wednesday.
The Tripoli HoR reported that the Moscow delegation was headed by HoR member Nasser Ben Nafa, member of the Defense and National Security Committee, and Jalal Al-Shuahdi, member of the Foreign Relations Committee, Abdel Moneim Belkur, member of the Finance Committee, Abdelwahab Zulaya, member of the Local Government Committee, and Belkheir Al-Shaab, a member of the Oversight Committee.
The Libyan delegation said they were met by Deputy Russian Foreign Russian Mikhail Bogdanov, as Russia’s Foreign Minister was away.
The importance of the historical relations between the two countries and the ways to continue and develop this relationship were stressed, the Tripoli HoR reported.
The HoR report that during the meeting, Bogdanov reiterated his country’s rejection of the attack on Tripoli and and claimed that he had warned Khalifa Haftar about the consequences of this aggression on Tripoli.
The HoR delegation reported that Bogdanov stressed his country’s commitment to the Libyan Political Agreement (signed in Skhirat in 2015), and that there is no way to resolve the Libyan crisis except through dialogue and there can be no military solution in Libya.
The Tripoli-based HoR delegation also reported that they met with Leonid Slutsky, Vice-President of the Russian Duma and Chairman of the International Affairs Committee of the Parliament.
They report that after exchanging views and clarifying some of the circumstances of Libyan affairs, Slutsky stressed that the Libyan Political Agreement agreement is the only guarantor of peace in Libya, and that his country did not support Haftar’s forces and was against the aggression from the beginning.
However, that Russia maintains a relationship with all Libyan parties, in order to ensure peace in the country.
They reported that Slutsky stressed the importance of working with the Tripoli HoR, frequently and periodically, to confirm the relations and achieve common interests between the two countries.
They also reported that Slutsky presented the delegation with a letter inviting the Speaker of the Tripoli HoR Sadig Al-Kahaili, in his capacity as Speaker of the Tripoli HoR ,to visit Russia, and expressed his wish to visit Libya in the near future.
