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Foreign Citizens Urgently Evacuated From Libya Over Safety Concerns

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The international community is fleeing Libya over the escalation of violence in the country, as numerous states urgently evacuate their citizens from Tripoli.

MOSCOW, July 31 (RIA Novosti) - The international community is fleeing Libya over the escalation of violence in the country, as numerous states urgently evacuate their citizens from Tripoli.

According to Reuters, Greece has sent a frigate and two other vessels to Tripoli to evacuate its citizens. The Greek frigate Salamis is due to arrive Thursday evening and evacuate Greek embassy workers. A second ship, the Prometheus, and a passenger ferry are to help evacuate several hundred citizens of Cyprus, the United Kingdom and China.

China is reported by Reuters to have evacuated several hundred workers from Libya and taken them to Malta, where the local government was setting up temporary accommodations. About 1,000 Chinese citizens have left since May, but even more remain.

France evacuated its nationals and closed its embassy on Wednesday. Canada made a decision to temporarily evacuate its diplomats from Libya on Tuesday.

“Due to operational challenges, including the unpredictable security environment in Tripoli, we have authorized the temporary suspension of operations at our office in Tripoli,” Canadian Foreign Minister John Baird was quoted as saying by Reuters.

The United States evacuated its diplomats on July 26 under heavy US military escort.

Italy has evacuated 120 Italians since July 17, according to a statement issued by the Italian Foreign Ministry Wednesday.

The United Kingdom, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, the Philippines and Egypt have all urged their citizens to leave Libya.

Libya is currently in political turmoil. After former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi’s overthrow in 2011, violence in the country escalated quickly. A large number of armed groups operate in the country, possessing extensive arsenals of weaponry, making some of them better-armed and equipped than the local police.

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