CAIRO (Sputnik) — The coastguard used to be equipped with modern ships but they were destroyed during NATO's military operations, Col. Ayub Kassem told RIA Novosti.
“Our capacities are in such a condition, that any similar guard service would stop functioning if it was in our position. We possess only small boats, of which the majority of them are made of rubber,” he said.
The naval officer said that the international community cites the political situation in the country as justification for providing the Libyan Navy with much needed aid, however, such organizations as Libya's Central Bank and the National Oil Corporation do continue to receive external financial assistance.
Kassem also criticized the European Union for its poor attempts to tackle the unregulated migration across the Mediterranean and for putting pressure on Libya on issues related to the refugee crisis instead of dealing with the root causes of the problem.
