UAE submitted a formal letter to the UN Security Council, strongly rejecting the false and inaccurate claims made against it by the Permanent Representative of the Libyan Government to the UN.

Ambassador Lana Nusseibeh, the United Arab Emirates’ Permanent Representative to the United Nations, stressed in the letter that the UAE has consistently supported the legitimate aspirations of the Libyan people for stability, peace, and prosperity. “The United Arab Emirates has called for a peaceful political solution, and it continues to support a comprehensive and lasting political solution to the Libyan crisis,” Ambassador Nusseibeh said. “The United Arab Emirates calls, once again, for an immediate and comprehensive ceasefire, and for all parties to commit to the political process under the auspices of the United Nations”  based on the principles agreed upon in Paris, Palermo and Abu Dhabi and building upon the outcomes of the Berlin Conference.

The letter builds on the Joint Declaration adopted on 11 May 2020 by the Foreign Ministers of Cyprus, Egypt, France, Greece, and the UAE. The Joint Declaration condemned Turkey’s ongoing unlawful activities in the Eastern Mediterranean and rejected the GNA-Turkish memoranda of understanding on maritime and military cooperation as violations of international law and United Nations Security Council Resolutions on Libya. Turkey has sought to use these invalid agreements to justify the transfer of thousands of Syrian fighters and sophisticated weaponry into Libya – actions that threaten peace and stability not only in Libya, but in the broader region. In her letter to the Council, Ambassador Nusseibeh expressed the UAE’s strong concern about Turkey’s actions in Libya and the worrying attitude of Libya’s Permanent Representative towards peace, at a time when the COVID-19 pandemic makes a cessation of hostilities in Libya the utmost imperative. “The Permanent Representative of Libya’s statement on 19 May 2020 suggests that the Government of National Accord has no intention to cease its military activities and to reengage in a peaceful political process.” The UAE unequivocally supports the UN Secretary-General’s call for a ceasefire in Libya and the UN efforts to arrive at a peaceful solution that will end the conflict. It also reaffirms its commitment to comply with all relevant Security Council resolutions on Libya.