In March 2017, he accompanied the GNA vice premier, Ahmed Maiteeq, to a meeting in Moscow with the Special Representative of the President of Russia for the Middle East and Africa, Mikhail Bogdanov. There they discussed the ongoing Libyan crisis and solutions for resolving the conflict, including the possibility of negotiations between the GNA and the Tobruk-based House of Representatives. This was part of an effort to improve relations between Russia and the Libyan GNA, as currently their rivals, the House of Representatives and Marshal Khalifa Haftar, have close relations with the country.