Egypt’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Sameh Shoukry met with a Libyan parliament delegation to discuss the ongoing political turmoil in Libya on Sunday. Though the meeting was set to reach political solutions, there were no fruitful conclusions.
Shoukry confirmed during the meeting that Egyptian-Libyan ties are rather strong, and that Egypt will provide all the assistance needed for the stability and prosperity of Libya, according to Foreign Ministry spokesperson Ahmed Abou Zaid.
Shoukry further added that Egypt is concerned with providing the proper political atmosphere in Libya for the different parties of the dispute to reach solutions. He also said that the Libyan parliament should support both the Government of National Accord (GNA) and the military in combating terrorism.
The Libyan delegation was headed by Mohamed Shoeib, first deputy to the speaker of the Libyan parliament. Citing Shoeib, Abou Zaid said that Libya praised the role of Egypt in the region and its peacekeeping efforts to achieve stability in Libya.
The Libyan delegation added that Libya is looking forward to fostering ties with Egypt and enhancing bilateral relations in commercial and economic fields. Shoukry concluded the meeting saying that the unrest in Libya will have implications on Egypt’s security as well.
Political analyst Kamel Abdullah had previously told Daily News Egypt that this delegation is seeking more support from Egypt to strengthen its position against the GNA, as Egypt is known for its support of the commander of Libyan Armed Forces, Khalifa Haftar.
There are several meetings that will reportedly take place in Egypt regarding the Libyan situation, to avoid any divisive attempts that may lead to a civil war.
The unrest in Libya has increased over the past few years following the downfall of former Libyan president Muammar Gaddafi. Also, the number of militants who took over several areas in the country has increased.
Libya was divided into several political factions following 2011. However, in December 2015, the parties in dispute signed a United Nations peace treaty, which resulted in the establishment of the GNA. Despite good efforts to settle the turmoil in Libya, the situation is still fluctuating as Haftar is acting alone without aligning with the GNA, which may bring about a civil war.
