The Russian Foreign Ministry announced that the Libyan file was a key topic during the meeting between Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and his UAE counterpart, Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, held in South Africa. The high-level meeting delved into international and regional issues of shared concern.
A statement issued by the Russian Foreign Ministry indicated that “the ministers discussed the situation in Syria, Yemen, and Libya” during the meeting held on the sidelines of the BRICS foreign ministers’ meeting in Cape Town, South Africa.
Russia called for a “sustainable resolution” through a political process developed by the Libyans without foreign interference. Both parties emphasized the importance of close coordination between Moscow and Abu Dhabi in various international forums, including the United Nations and the Security Council, where the UAE has been a non-permanent member since January 2022.
The dialogue further cemented the traditional friendly relations between Moscow and Abu Dhabi, underlining mutual interest in enhancing these ties based on the strategic partnership agreement between the two countries, signed on June 1, 2018.
Both Russia and the UAE have a strong presence in Libya. Russian forces, specifically the “Wagner Group,” are deployed in the region, and a confidential report revealed that the UAE Air Force conducted around 150 flights between January and April 2020, believed by UN experts to be carrying ammunition and defense systems, in addition to dozens of flights to Libya during the summer.
