MOSCOW. July 3 (Interfax) - The resumed operation of the Russian embassy to Libya will expedite the release of incarcerated Russian citizens, First Deputy Chairman of the State Duma Foreign Affairs Committee Dmitry Novikov said.
"The embassy will be able to work more closely on the affairs of our citizens who have found themselves in difficult situations in Libya, including incarcerated persons," Novikov told Interfax on Friday.
"Speaking of the concrete situations of two of our citizens, this is a task not only for consular services; the entire mechanism of state capacities should be involved in the case, so that we're able to free our citizens," he said.
In Novikov's opinion, the embassy's opening is a step toward a complete resolution of the problem.
"Clearly, it would have been better to have a chance to open the embassy directly on Libyan territory, but the situation remains difficult, and various risks exist," he said.
"This is a reasonable precaution," Novikov said.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said earlier on Friday that Russia would reopen its embassy to Libya, but Charge D'affaires ad interim Dzhamshed Boltayev would be stationed in Tunisia for now.