Withdrawal of foreign troops from Libya should be gradual, smooth - Russian top diplomat - TASS

The participants of the Paris International Conference for Libya confirmed the need to withdraw foreign troops from Libyan territory gradually and smoothly, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told journalists on Friday.

"The withdrawal should be complete, at the same time it should be performed in stages, gradually, and it has to be synchronized in terms of withdrawing those who support Libya’s west and those who support [its] east," he said.

According to the Russian top diplomat, this approach will allow to preserve the balance of forces thanks to which Libya has managed to maintain truce for over a year.

The foreign minister noted that previous agreements on Libya were upheld at the conference. "As for the withdrawal of foreign military groups, armed forces and so on, then the decision made today upheld the formula contained in the final document of the Berlin conference this July and the formula that literally a couple of weeks ago, Libya’s Joint Military Commission, the so-called 5+5, recorded in its decisions," the diplomat said.

Earlier, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres expressed concern over the continued presence of foreign troops in Libya despite the agreement to withdraw them. The 5+5 Joint Military Commission (JMC) reported on Friday that Khalifa Haftar’s Libyan National Army would withdraw 300 mercenaries from the regions controlled by it per France’s request.