NATO chief, Libyan premier discuss Libya over phone

BRUSSELS

NATO chief, in a phone conversation with the Libyan prime minister on Saturday, confirmed the military alliance’s readiness to assist Libya by building defense and security capacities.

Jens Stoltenberg held a phone call with Fayez al-Sarraj -- initiated by the prime minister -- and the leaders discussed the latest developments in the country.

Expressing his concerns over the recent escalation of violence, Stoltenberg stressed the crisis could only be solved by political negotiations, led by the UN and involving all parties.

The NATO chief reiterated that there was no military solution to the conflict.

But he said NATO remained prepared to support the country by developing its defense and security institutions, as it had been decided by NATO leaders in 2018 in response to the request of the UN-recognized Government of National Accord (GNA) of Libya.

Stoltenberg and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan also discussed the possibility of NATO capacity building mission in Libya two days ago over the phone.

The Libyan government has been under attack by warlord Khalifa Haftar’s armed forces since April 2019.

Haftar’s illegal forces in eastern Libya has launched several attacks to capture Tripoli, with more than 1,000 killed in the violence.

The Libyan government launched Operation Peace Storm on March 26 to counter attacks on the capital.

Following the ouster of late ruler Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, Libya's new government was founded in 2015 under a political deal led by the UN.