Russian President Vladimir Putin and Italy's Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte discussed the Libyan situation in a telephone conversation, the Kremlin said on Wednesday.

It said that the two leaders were interested in "continuing joint work towards long-term normalisation in Libya."

"There was a substantive exchange of views on developments in Libya, including in the context of implementing the results of the international conference held in Berlin on January 19," The Kremlin said.

"Vladimir Putin stressed the principal importance of coordinating all settlement parameters that the UN Security Council was working on with the Libyan parties," it added.

Libya has been dogged by war since December 2011, and the situation heightened in early 2019 when rebel General Khalifa Hafter pledged to take over Tripoli from the Government of National Accord (GNA) led by Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj.

Hafter announced in early December a final push to take over the capital from al-Sarraj's government, unleashing heavy clashes on the southern edges of the city.

Since 2011, the Libyan war has killed thousands and displaced millions as militant groups and human trafficking cells sought to impose their command in various regions across the country.

The United Nations and some International actors continue to urge the warring factions to engage in dialogue in order to end the conflict and put the country back on course to the formation of a unified government.

Source: en.kremlin.ru