MOSCOW — Russia has decided to reopen its embassy in Libya although its head will temporarily be based in neighbouring Tunisia, Interfax news agency cited Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov as saying on Friday. Libya has been split since 2014, with the internationally recognised government based in the capital, Tripoli, and the northwest while military leader Khalifa Haftar in the country's second city Benghazi rules the east. Russia evacuated its diplomats from Libya in October 2013 after an armed faction attacked its embassy in Tripoli. Lavrov, speaking at a meeting with the speaker of Libya's pro-Haftar eastern parliament Aguila Saleh, reiterated Russia's desire for a cessation of hostilities in Libya and the beginning of political dialogue.

Source: International New York Times July 03, 2020 11:48 UTC