Comment by the Information and Press Department on the developments in Libya

The military political developments in Libya have seriously deteriorated in the past few days. According to incoming reports, former head of Libya's National Salvation Government Khalifa al-Ghawil has taken over a complex of government offices in the Libyan capital with the support of loyal armed formations. In his televised address, he declared a state of emergency in Tripoli and proclaimed the National Salvation Government to be the only legal executive body in the country.

In turn, Chairman of the Presidential Council of Libya Fayez Mustafa al-Sarraj strongly denounced this foray and instructed his security services to detain and punish the organisers and participants in the attempts to stage a coup d'etat. There are reports about shooting in Tripoli.

Moscow is seriously concerned over the new deterioration of the situation in the Libyan capital. There is a growing threat that violence may escalate further and that the country may be plunged into even greater chaos that is fraught with fatal consequences for Libyan statehood and the region as a whole.

We are urging all conflicting Libyan parties to show restraint and self-control and to strictly abide by the Skhirat agreements. We are reiterating that disputable issues of establishing national bodies of power and unified security agencies must be resolved only through constructive dialogue at the negotiating table.