Geography of Africa

Libya's rival leaders have left Moscow without reaching agreement on a cease-fire deal proposed by Russia and Turkey in an effort to bring an end to the country's long-running civil war.

Turkey's foreign minister said on Jan. 13 that a draft text on a possible cease-fire in Libya had emerged during talks in Moscow.

Talks between Libya's warring parties in Moscow, supported by Turkish and Russian officials, are going positively, President Tayyip Erdoğan said on Jan. 13, adding that Ankara was working to ensure the truce became permanent.

Turkey and Italy have been working together for a permanent ceasefire between Libya's combating sides, the Turkish president said on Jan. 13.

The leaders of Turkey and Russia held a telephone conversation on Jan. 11 to discuss regional issues, including Libya, according to diplomatic sources.

Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias will be traveling to Brussels on Friday to attend an emergency meeting of the European Union's Foreign Affairs Council, called to discuss the crisis with Iran and developments in Libya.

European leaders warned Libya's internationally recognised prime minister on Wednesday against allowing Turkish troops on Libyan soil or agreeing to a natural gas deal with Turkey to avoid worsening the latest turmoil in the country.

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis described the agreement that purportedly delimitated the maritime borders between Turkey and Libya as "geographically ridiculous," saying it completely disregards Crete.
The deal, signed last month in Libya, seeks to create an exclusive economic zone from Turkey's southern Mediterranean shore to Libya's northeast coast.

The European Union's top diplomat and the foreign ministers of Britain, France, Germany and Italy condemned on Tuesday Turkey's plans to send military experts and trainers to Libya, saying foreign interference there was exacerbating instability.

Turkey's military deployment in Libya sends a message that it will protect its interests and Libya's amid efforts to exclude Ankara from developments in the Eastern Mediterranean and North Africa, an expert said on Jan. 3.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Friday called again for an immediate cease-fire in Libya and a return to talks by all the warring parties.

The UN chief warned in a statement from his deputy spokesman that "any foreign support to the warring parties will only deepen the ongoing conflict and further complicate efforts to reach a peaceful and comprehensive political solution."