Russia eyes Libya as a new potential territory to expand its grip in The Mediterranean.
NATO: Russian-Haftar affinity will not resolve Libya’s thorny dilemma
The Chairman of the NATO Military Committee, General Petr Pavel, said the fact that Russia and Khalifa Haftar in Libya see eye to eye on military issues would never lead to a solution to the Libyan political juncture.
Czech Gen. Pavel said – on the margins of NATO members meeting on Wednesday – Moscow had its last line of policy thrust upon Libya so that it could get more power and influence in the region; all for its own benefits.
“The meeting between the Russians and Haftar on the Russian aircraft carrier, the Admiral Kuznetsov, would be beneficial if Haftar were an official representative of the Libyan state, knowing that the international community recognizes only the Tripoli-based government.” Pavel remarked.
The Czech Gen. added that he would welcome any joint efforts that aim at solving the current Libyan political stalemate, “as unilateral efforts would be very useless at this point,” he explained.
Haftar paid a visit to the Russian warship, the Admiral Kuznetsov, last week in the Libyan waters, where he contacted the Russian Defense Minister, Sergei Shoigu, in a step that has been rendered very controversial since Haftar and other Dignity Operation leaders in eastern Libya have begged for Russian intervention in Libya - similar to that in Syria.
