NATO ready to support Libya once conditions allow

NATO's Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, said on Thursday that NATO is ready to contribute to security building in Libya once conditions allow. 

"For NATO, it just highlights the importance of supporting the UN-led efforts to find a negotiated solution to the Libyan crisis," he added, as quoted by Anadolu Agency (AA).

Stoltenberg also addressed the Russian presence in Libya. Russia's heavy investment in new military equipment and increased military presence along the military alliance's borders fall into a pattern, according to Stoltenberg.

These developments have caused "great concern" for NATO, but the alliance "follows and monitors very closely" Moscow's actions and has invested in new capabilities "in response to a more assertive Russia," he added.

The United States had also expressed its concerns about the Russian presence. Last summer, the US Africa Command said that 2000 Russian mercenaries from the Wagner Group were operating alongside Haftar Libyan National Army.

On the diplomatic level, UN efforts to reach a permanent solution are continuing. The UN Secretary-General is reportedly planning to appoint veteran diplomat Jan Kubis as his envoy in Libya nearly a year after the last mediator stepped down. 

If there are no objections by the 15 members of the Security Council, Kubis will replace Ghassan Salame, who quit last year. Currently, Salame's deputy, Stephanie Williams, had been the acting envoy. 

Kubis is a former Slovakian foreign minister and currently the UN special coordinator for Lebanon. He had previously served as Special Envoy to Afghanistan and Iraq. 

 

Source: commonspace.eu with Daily Sabah (Istanbul) and agencies. 
Picture:  UN Special Coordinator for Lebanon, Jan Kubis. 

Related articles

Editor's choice
News
Borrell tells the European Parliament that the situation in Afghanistan was critical, but the EU will remain engaged

Borrell tells the European Parliament that the situation in Afghanistan was critical, but the EU will remain engaged

Borrell underlined that the European Union will make every effort to support the peace process and to remain a committed partner to the Afghan people. "Of course, we will have to take into account the evolving situation, but disengagement is not an option.  We are clear on that: there is no alternative to a negotiated political settlement, through inclusive peace talks.
Editor's choice
News
US and Ukraine sign deal giving US access to country’s valuable mineral wealth

US and Ukraine sign deal giving US access to country’s valuable mineral wealth

The United States and Ukraine have signed a minerals deal after a two-month delay, in what President Donald Trump's administration called a new form of US commitment to Kyiv after the end of military aid. Ukraine said it secured key interests after protracted negotiations, including full sovereignty over its own rare earths, which are vital for new technologies and largely untapped. Trump had initially demanded rights to Ukraine's mineral wealth as compensation for US weapons sent under former president Joe Biden after Russia invaded just over three years ago.

Popular

Editor's choice
News
US and Ukraine sign deal giving US access to country’s valuable mineral wealth

US and Ukraine sign deal giving US access to country’s valuable mineral wealth

The United States and Ukraine have signed a minerals deal after a two-month delay, in what President Donald Trump's administration called a new form of US commitment to Kyiv after the end of military aid. Ukraine said it secured key interests after protracted negotiations, including full sovereignty over its own rare earths, which are vital for new technologies and largely untapped. Trump had initially demanded rights to Ukraine's mineral wealth as compensation for US weapons sent under former president Joe Biden after Russia invaded just over three years ago.