Vladimir Putin Makes Rare Visit To Syria, Meets Bashar al-Assad
- by Claude Bryan
- in Markets
- — Jan 9, 2020
Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan have discussed the situation in the Middle East following a USA airstrike that killed IRGC commander Qasem Soleimani, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov stated on 8 January.
He spoke in Istanbul, alongside his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov.
"Seeking a military solution to the ongoing conflict in Libya only causes further suffering and deepens the divisions among Libyans".
A fighter loyal to the UN-backed Libyan Government of National Accord fires a truck-mounted gun during clashes with forces loyal to warlord Khalifa Haftar in the capital Tripoli's suburb of Ain Zara on September 7, 2019.
Libya now has rival administrations: the UN-backed government in Tripoli, and the Gen Haftar-backed government in the eastern city of Tobruk. Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry said the proposed summit in Germany, which was supposed to be held early this year, could be the "last chance" to draw a road map to peace.
The Syrian war began when the Baath regime, in power since 1963 and led by President Bashar al-Assad, responded with military force to peaceful protests demanding democratic reforms during the Arab Spring wave of uprisings.
European Union countries have struggled to play a meaningful role in the crisis, despite their strategic interest in stabilizing a country that is rich in oil and gas and is a key transit route for Europe-bound migrants.
Originally scheduled for late 2019, it has been postponed to January, but there're still no fixed date for it. "Libya can not become a second Syria and so we need rapidly to enter a political process, an agreement on an effective ceasefire and an arms embargo", he added.
Iraq’s outgoing prime minister says United States troops must leave
Secretary of Defense Mark Esper announced on Monday that some forces are being repositioned inside Iraq, not leaving the country. Acting prime minister Adel Abdul Mahdi said the document "was clear" and expressed exasperation with conflicting USA signals.
The situation in Libya has become more hard, especially around the capital Tripoli, Maas said.
"Libya can not become a second Syria and so we need rapidly to enter a political process, an agreement on an effective ceasefire and an arms embargo", Maas said, adding he wanted a summit on Libya in Berlin in the coming weeks.
In another sign of the diplomatic push for a ceasefire, Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte met Gen Haftar in the Italian city of Milan.
Officials in Rome said the meeting lasted nearly three hours, but did not give details of what was discussed.
Meanwhile Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Russian state news agency RIA that bilateral negotiations had taken place.
"We have been following with great concern the recent developments, particularly the intensified fighting around Tripoli, in long-suffering Libya", Putin and Erdogan's statement said.
"The EU can not be divided but must speak with one voice".
