Russia said it welcomed a contested deal that would allow Libya to resume oil exports halted by a blockade at the start of the year, with revenue distributed across the divided nation. Deputy Prime Minister Ahmed Maiteeq reached the accord last week at a meeting in Sochi, Russia, with military commander Khalifa Haftar’s son and representatives from oil-rich eastern Libya. They also agreed to form a special commission to resolve conflicts. Haftar’s forces locked down fields and ports in January.
“We welcome this decision,” the Foreign Ministry in Moscow said on its website on Saturday. “We regard it as the first step toward building trust between the warring factions in Libya. It is assumed that the proceeds from its implementation will be fairly distributed among all regions of the country.”
Libya’s National Oil Corp. said it wouldn’t lift force majeure provisions until Russian mercenaries who support Haftar withdraw from oil installations, and denounced what it called parallel talks in a statement late Thursday.