Russia to reopen Consulate General in Benghazi after 33 years

The Russian Consulate General in Benghazi will reopen after 33 years, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Tuesday, without specifying a date.

Speaking at a news conference in Moscow following a meeting with Libya's acting Foreign Minister Taher Al Baour, Lavrov said: "We have agreed to open our Consulate General in Benghazi in the very near future, in addition to the Russian Embassy in Tripoli.”.

The Consulate General in Benghazi was suspended in 1983 “for various reasons,” he said.

The two sides also agreed to resume the Russian-Libyan intergovernmental commission, he said.

Lavrov said he expects to welcome Libyan delegations at the third edition of the Russia-Africa Summit, scheduled for the second half of the year.

“We hope that this third summit will adopt an action plan between Russia and Africa for the next period,” he said.

Asked about US-Iranian talks in Pakistan, Lavrov said Moscow is closely monitoring the negotiations.

"We will analyze what is happening, although everything happens instantly, in a day the situation can change 10 times diametrically," he said.

He added that if the two sides move toward an agreement similar to the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, it would be “a great success.”

"We see threats, we see promises, assurances that if you do this, you will prosper. And we see the position of Iran, which absolutely justifiably says that they have already been trapped by false promises, including the comprehensive program of action to resolve Iran's nuclear program," he said.

Commenting on the ongoing war in Ukraine, Lavrov said he hopes the Russian-US agreements reached at the presidential summit in August last year will be implemented.

For his part, Al Baour said Libyan authorities are interested in Russia’s participation in resolving the country’s internal political crisis.

He added that Russia maintains contacts with all Libyan sides, making its contribution to lasting peace significant.