Haftar holds phone talk with Russian top diplomat

By Elena Teslova

MOSCOW (AA) - East Libya-based commander Khalifa Haftar held a phone talk with Russian deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov on Saturday.

"Khalifa Haftar shared information on the actions taken by the Libyan national army in recent days aimed, as it was stressed, at intensifying the fight against terrorist and extremist groups present in various parts of the country, including in the area of the capital Tripoli," the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

Bogdanov reaffirmed the Russian position in support of political methods of resolving all outstanding issues in Libyan society.

Pro-Haftar forces on Friday said they had captured the former Tripoli International Airport on the outskirts of the capital.

Libya has remained beset by turmoil since 2011, when a NATO-backed uprising led to the ouster and death of President Muammar Gaddafi after four decades in power.

Since then, the country’s stark political divisions have yielded two rival seats of power: one in the eastern city of Al-Bayda, to which Haftar is linked, and another in Tripoli.