Tripoli, 4 October 2013:
The Libyan Ministry of Foreign Affairs has condemned Wednesday’s attack on the Russian embassy in Tripoli, . . .[restrict]expressing its regret over the incident, which it described as “irresponsible.”
The Ministry offered its condolences to those affected by the attack and confirmed that two Libyans had been killed and another two seriously injured by security personnel firing shots from inside the embassy. It called upon the Libyan people to cooperate with the authorities to prevent any further such incidents and help maintain security and stability across the country, according to Libyan news agency LANA.
The Ministry stressed that the incident would not affect the historical and strategic relations between the two countries. Prime Minister Ali Zeidan and Foreign Minister Mohammed Abdul Aziz, it said, visited the embassy after the attack and, on behalf of the government, expressed their regret and apologised to the ambassador.
Yesterday, Russia evacuated all diplomatic staff and family members to Tunisia, from where they were expected to fly back to Russia. Abdul Aziz has denied that this course of action was recommended by the Libyan authorities.
The Ministry confirmed that the attack was a reaction to the murder of a prominent revolutionary leader by a Russian woman. It added that the Interior Ministry had ordered police and security forces to coordinate a joint security plan to protect the Russian embassy. [/restrict]
