Lavrov and Shoigu to visit Turkey, discuss Libya conflict

RFE/RL
Sat, 13 Jun 2020 23:12 UTC

© Sputnik/Alexander Astafyev/Reuters

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu

Russia's foreign and defense ministers will visit Turkey on June 14 for discussions that are expected to focus on the conflict in Libya.

Turkey backs the UN-recognized Government of National Accord (GNA) in the capital Tripoli, while Russia, Egypt, and the United Arab Emirates support the forces of eastern strongman Khalifa Haftar.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu's arrival in Istanbul was agreed to after talks between Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the two sides said.

The Turkish Foreign Ministry said the delegations will hold "consultations and discuss coordination on regional issues."

Turkey's state broadcaster TRT reported the two sides would also discuss Syria, where they are at odds over the fate of the last rebel-held enclave in northwest Idlib province.

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif is also expected to visit Turkey on June 14, the Iranian Foreign Ministry said. Iran and Russia are Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's key foreign backers, while Turkey backs rebel factions.

Turkey deployed military advisors, drones, and Syrian rebel mercenaries to Libya in January to support the government in Tripoli.

The intervention has turned the tide against an offensive on the capital and parts of western Libya led by Haftar's self-styled Libyan National Army (LNA).

The United States has accused Russia of providing warplanes to Haftar's forces and a UN report this year found the strongman received support from the Vagner mercenary group. Vagner forces are believed to be run by Kremlin-linked Russian financier Yevgeny Prigozhin.

Following a series of battlefield setbacks in recent weeks, Haftar is reportedly losing support from some foreign backers who want a ceasefire in Libya.

Egypt, a regional rival of Turkey, has proposed its ceasefire plan which was welcomed by Russia and the UAE. Ankara and the GNA rejected it as a ploy to buy time for Haftar's retreating forces.

Separately, the UN's Libya mission said earlier this month the North African country's warring parties have started to engage in a new round of ceasefire talks under its auspices. The United States supports a UN-led bid to broker peace.

Turkey's military gamble in Libya is also linked to a standoff with rivals Greece and Cyprus over offshore hydrocarbon resources.

On June 11, the second largest military in NATO conducted an air and naval exercise in the eastern Mediterranean 2,000 kilometers from the Turkish coast, in a show of forced linked to the Libya conflict and territorial disputes.

Comment: Another time, another date, Cavusoglu and Lavrov postpone talks:

Russia and Turkey have postponed ministerial-level talks that were expected to focus on Libya and Syria, where the two countries support opposing sides in long-standing conflicts. "The two countries' deputy ministers will continue contacts and talks in the period ahead. Minister-level talks will be held at a later date," the ministry said in a statement.

In the talks, the Russians were expected to offer to replace the LNA's commander, Khalifa Haftar, with Aguila Saleh, the representative of the Tobruk House of Representatives, as he is seen as in a position that would support the GNA and al-Sarraj, and could also be involved in the political settlement in Libya.

Meanwhile, other visits are taking place to further the peace prospect initiated by Egypt with support from the US, EU, Russia and various Arab nations:

Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune is holding a meeting with Aguila Saleh, the speaker of Libya's eastern-based parliament, the presidential office said on Saturday. The visit takes place after the Algerian leader announced that his country was ready to host intra-Lybian talks to settle the longstanding conflict.