List of ambassadors of Russia to Libya
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Ambassador of the Russian Federation to the State of Libya | |
|---|---|
| سفارة روسيا الاتحادية لدى دولة ليبيا | |
 Emblem of the Russian Foreign Ministry | |
| Ministry of Foreign Affairs Embassy of Russia in Tripoli | |
| Style | His Excellency The Honourable |
| Reports to | Minister of Foreign Affairs |
| Seat | Tripoli |
| Appointer | President of Russia |
| Term length | At the pleasure of the president |
| Website | Embassy of Russia in Libya |
The ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary of the Russian Federation to Libya is the official representative of the president and the government of the Russian Federation to the president and the government of Libya.
The ambassador and his staff work at large in the Embassy of Russia in Tripoli.[1] The post of Russian ambassador to Libya is currently held by Aydar Aganin, incumbent since 29 December 2022.[2]
The Soviet Union established diplomatic relations with the Kingdom of Libya on 4 September 1955.[3] The first ambassador, Nikolai Generalov, was appointed on 15 December 1955.[4] Following the 1969 Libyan revolution, which overthrew the king and brought Muammar Gaddafi to power on 1 September 1969, the Soviet Union recognised the Libyan Arab Republic on 4 September.[3] Relations were maintained through several changes of name, to the Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya in 1977, and the Great Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya in 1986. Following the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, Libya recognised the Russian Federation as its successor state, and the incumbent Soviet ambassador, Veniamin Popov, continued in post as the Russian ambassador until 1992.[4]
Russia maintained a diplomatic presence during the Libyan civil war which broke out in 2011, but the subsequent outbreak of factional violence made the security situation untenable. The Russian embassy was attacked on 2 October 2013, and the following day all of its staff were evacuated to Tunis.[5] The ambassador, Ivan Molotkov, remained nominally in post until 2018, but thereafter diplomatic affairs were handled through the Russian embassy in Tunis, with a temporary chargé d'affaires heading up the mission between 2018 and 2023. With the stabilising of the security situation by the early 2020s, Russia reopened its embassy in Tripoli in August 2023, with Aydar Aganin appointed as the new ambassador on 29 December 2022.[6] Plans were also announced to reopen the consulate in Benghazi, but have been delayed until an agreement can be reached with the Government of National Stability, which controls eastern Libya.[7]
