Russia’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Vassily Nebenzia, announced that Moscow is not ready to extend the mandate of the United Nations mission in Libya for a long period as long as a new head has not been appointed.
During a session of the United Nations Security Council on Wednesday, Nebenzia stated, “We regret the prolongation of the transitional period (in the mission) following the departure of Abdullah Bathily (from the position of Special UN Envoy).”
He continued, “We all understand that no matter how hard its former employees work, the mission cannot fulfill its important tasks of supporting the national dialogue without a new permanent head, agreed upon by the Security Council.” He emphasized, “Under these circumstances, we cannot agree to extend the United Nations mission in Libya for a long period.”
Nebenzia stressed that Russia is ready to work quickly to resolve this issue and expects new proposals from UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres regarding candidates for the new envoy’s position. He noted that “this will require taking into account the views of the Libyan parties and regional players.”
It is noted that Senegalese diplomat Abdullah Bathily took up the position of the UN Special Envoy for Libya in September 2022 and resigned in April 2024, citing a lack of sufficient political will among the Libyan parties.
