Russia and Libya vow to strengthen bilateral cooperation

Russia is ready to assist Libya in “restoring unity and national reconciliation,” Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Tuesday after holding talks with Libya’s acting foreign minister, Taher Al-Baour, in Moscow.

Al-Baour said the Libyan delegation plans to meet with Russian government officials to work on resuming bilateral agreements.

“We anticipate that we will have the opportunity to engage with representatives of various government institutions of the Russian Federation, work toward the resumption of specific contracts and agreements, and potentially conclude new arrangements,” he said.

Intergovernmental commission to restart

Lavrov announced that Russia and Libya agreed to resume the work of the Intergovernmental Commission on Trade, Economic, Scientific, and Technical Cooperation.

“We will seek out opportunities to assist our companies in returning to or re-entering the Libyan economy through the mechanism of the Intergovernmental Commission,” he said.

The minister of trade was also present.

Lavrov on iran talks

Asked about US-Iran negotiations, Lavrov said that if both sides reach an agreement similar to the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, “that would constitute a major success.”