"This issue has not been discussed at all. I do not think that Russia has the desire or the need to establish a military base in Libya. Russia has a giant fleet in the Mediterranean, which allows to do without land bases in this region. In any case, the creation of a military base is a matter shaped by local, regional and international conditions. I do not think that such conditions exist now," Haftar said.
In March, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov said that the country had not deployed troops or unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) near the Libyan border in Egypt, following media reports cited unnamed US and Egyptian military and diplomatic sources claiming that 22-member Russian special forces and several drones have been deployed to an Egyptian air base near Libya.
Egypt is making maximum efforts to resolve the Libyan conflict, and it formed a committee which is in touch with both sides, Haftar added.
"Egypt is in the forefront of the countries which are making maximum effort to help the sides of the Libyan conflict reach an agreement. Egypt formed a committee comprising high ranking officials who are in touch with all sides of the Libyan conflict and the sides which influence the conclusion of an agreement," Haftar said.
Libya has been in a state of turmoil since 2011, when a civil war began in the country and its longtime leader Muammar Gaddafi was overthrown.
The country’s eastern regions are governed by the elected parliament headquartered in the city of Tobruk. The Government of National Accord, formed with the support from the United Nations and Europe and headed by Prime Minister Fayez Sarraj, operates in the country’s west, including the Libyan capital of Tripoli.
The eastern authorities act independently from the west, cooperating with the Libyan National Army led by Haftar, which fights against Islamic terrorists.
