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Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg Welcomes Libyan Foreign Minister Najla Al-Mangoush

AUSTRIA, June 22 - On 23 June 2022, Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg met with his Libyan counterpart, Najla Al-Mangoush, in Vienna. Their talks focussed on the tense political situation in Libya, combatting irregular migration and the effects that the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine has on Libya and the entire region.

During their meeting, Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg and Foreign Minister Najla Al-Mangoush discussed the difficult domestic situation in Libya. Currently, Libya is controlled by two competing governments and finds itself in a worsening security situation. The mediation efforts of the United Nations play an important role here, facilitating elections as the only way out of the stalemate.

I am pleased to be able to welcome Foreign Minister Najla Al-Mangoush in Vienna in order to discuss the situation in Libya. Austria and the EU will continue to support a political process led by the Libyan people themselves, and elections to help end the political crisis,

said Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg.

Another topic was the ongoing war of aggression by Russia, which is having severe consequences for the country’s food security. Libya is 90% dependent on grain imports, a significant share of which come from Ukraine and Russia. During the meeting, Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg commended Libya’s clear stance against Russia before the United Nations. During the General Assembly of the United Nations, Libya supported the vote to condemn Russian aggression, as well as to exclude Russia from the UN Human Rights Council.

Libya’s condemnation of the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine before the United Nations shows how much Russia has isolated itself internationally through its brutal attack. The international community must now do everything in its power to prevent the effects of this war of aggression from placing additional strain on countries that are already unstable,

said Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg.

The two foreign ministers also discussed migration through Libya to Europe. This is seeing a rapid increase along the central Mediterranean route, which is partly also due to instability in the Sahel region. Libya is an important partner in the fight against irregular migration to Europe, as Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg emphasised during the meeting with his counterpart.