Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov welcomed the initiative by the President of the Republic of the Congo, Denis Sassou Nguesso, to organize a conference on national reconciliation in Libya soon, saying that Moscow will "help put this initiative into practice."

Lavrov welcomed the role of the Republic of the Congo in settling crises in the African continent and holding a conference that will bring together all parties to the Libyan conflict, during a press conference held in Brazzaville, after lengthy talks President Nguesso and Foreign Minister Jean-Claude Gakosso.

“I want to emphasize the role of the President of the Republic of the Congo as chair of the African Union High-Level Committee on Libya,” he added.

In preparations for this conference, the chief Russian diplomat said that the chair of the African Union Committee on Libya is considering extending invitations to external actors, including the Russian Federation and "we will actively assist in the organization of this important forum."

Lavrov criticized the attempts made so far by some European countries and even by colleagues from the United Nations, which ignored the focus on making this process "inclusive of all Libyans."

On Monday, Russia's Deputy Representative to the United Nations, Dmitry Polyansky, confirmed during a UN Security Council session Moscow's support for the African Union's initiative to hold a Libyan reconciliation conference, noting that all Libyan parties are fully aware of the risks of a return to armed clashes on the country's unity.

For years, the African Union has been seeking to hold a conference for reconciliation between Libyans, after Congo hosted several meetings with the aim of finding solutions to the crisis. The participants in the preparations for the meeting gathered in Brazzaville earlier this month and adopted “several basic principles for organizing national reconciliation” in Libya, according to the meeting’s final statement.

The meeting, which was chaired by the Congolese Minister of Foreign Affairs, Jean-Claude Gakosso, was attended by representatives of Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, the House of Representatives and the Presidential Council.