Russia visits Libya three times in 2023: summary

Russia's President Putin visits rocket and space centre outside Moscow

Russia's President Vladimir Putin meets with young scientists as he visits the centre of the Rocket and Space Corporation "Energia" in Korolyov outside Moscow, Russia, October 26, 2023. Sputnik/Grigory Sysoev/Pool via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY.

Source: X02440

What we know

Russian and Libyan leaders have had three in-person meetings in the space of about four months in 2023 alone.
In August, Deputy Defense Minister Yunus-bek Yevkurov was in Benghazi, Haftar's stronghold, upon an invitation from Haftar, giving the first sign of a strategic partnership.
The visit aimed to discuss prospects for cooperation in combating international terrorism and other joint actions.
In late September, Haftar reciprocated the visit by going to Moscow for talks with Russian officials on developments in Libya and bilateral relations.
In December, the two reconvened in Benghazi for the third time this year, Libya Observer has reported.

What they said

Russia's Deputy Defense Minister Yunus-bek Yevkurov said during his first visit, "This is the first official visit of a Russian military delegation to Libya…During the visit, it is planned to discuss prospects for cooperation in combating international terrorism and other issues of joint action," he is quoted by Africanews. In September, the Libyan armed forces wrote on Facebook “Marshal Haftar held talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu”. “They discussed the situation in Libya and the region as a whole,” Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said. Meanwhile, the US is not enthused Russia’s new leaps on the African continent, "They plunder the countries in which they are located, endanger public security and cause a lack of respect for human rights,” the US State Department's spokesman Ned Price is quoted by Libya Observer.

Etornam Kornu