Elena Teslova
12 February 2020•Update: 12 February 2020
MOSCOW
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte discussed the situation in Libya over the phone on Wednesday.
The two leaders held "a thorough" exchange of views on the situation in Libya on the implementation of the results of the international conference in Berlin on Jan. 19, the Kremlin said in a statement on its official website.
"The Russian president stressed the fundamental importance of coordinating with the Libyan parties all parameters of the settlement that are being worked out these days on the line of the UN Security Council," it said.
In a separate statement, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova announced a meeting of Russian and Italian foreign and defense ministers in Rome on Feb. 18.
This meeting format, established by the Russian president and Italian prime minister, has been in effect since 2009, and this will be the fourth meeting," she said.
The ministers will also hold separate meetings, she added.
"They will discuss a wide range of international issues -- with a focus on world stability, and solving the most acute interregional problems -- particularly those related to arms control and security in Europe and the Middle East," Zakharova stressed.
Since the ouster of late ruler Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, two seats of power have emerged in Libya: warlord Khalifa Haftar in eastern Libya, supported mainly by Egypt and the UAE, and the Government of National Accord in Tripoli, which enjoys the UN and international recognition.
Libya’s legitimate government had been under attack by Haftar since last April, claiming lives of more than 1,000 people.
On Jan. 12, the conflict parties announced a cease-fire in response to a joint call by the Turkish and Russian leaders. But talks last week for a permanent cease-fire deal ended without an agreement after Haftar left Moscow without signing the deal.
On Jan. 19, Haftar accepted at the Berlin conference on Libya to designate members to a UN-proposed military commission with five members from each side to monitor implementation of the cease-fire.
