Three days away from an important conference to be held in Berlin on the subject, the president of the European Council Charles Michel and Russian president Vladimir Putin spoke on Thursday regarding the situation in Libya.
"The presidents hope all parties will reach an agreement to conclude a ceasefire and get the political process going again," a press release issued by Michel's office at the end of the phone conversation, states.
This first contact between the two presidents since Michel took up office in December notably gave the Belgian the opportunity to reiterate the EU's support for the initiatives taken by the United Nations as well as the Berlin process.
Both men also discussed Iran and Iraq. The EC president considers it essential to involve "all the international partners" in ways of bringing about de-escalation in both countries. He recalled EU support for the Iran nuclear agreement, seen as making "an important contribution" to security in the region and as an essential mainstay of nuclear non-proliferation.
Michel also reminded the Russian president of the EU's position in terms of the complete implementation of the Minsk agreements on east Ukraine, while welcoming the gas transit agreement concluded by the two countries. He repeated that the Union stood up for Ukraine's independence, its sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognised borders.
The Brussels Times