Egypt’s Foreign Minister, Badr Abdel-Aati, hosted his counterparts from Tunisia, Mohamed Ali Nafti, and Algeria Ahmed Attaf in Cairo on Thursday for the fourth ministerial meeting of the Libya Neighbouring Countries Mechanism, as the three countries stepped up co-ordination efforts aimed at supporting stability and advancing a political settlement in Libya.
The meeting formed part of an ongoing trilateral consultation process among the three cpuntries on developments in Libya and ways to address the prolonged crisis.
The threee top diplomats reaffirmed their commitment to preserving Libya’s unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity, stressing that stability in Libya is closely tied to the security of the wider region.
Abdel-Aati reiterated Egypt’s position that a purely Libyan-led solution remains the only path towards lasting stability. He stressed the need to hold simultaneous presidential and parliamentary elections and called for the immediate withdrawal of all foreign forces and mercenaries from Libya.
In a joint statement issued after the meeting, the ministers underlined that a comprehensive political settlement under United Nations auspices remains the sole viable solution to the crisis. They also called for the unification of Libyan institutions and rejected all forms of external interference in the country’s affairs.
They also voiced concern over continued violence and political assassinations in Libya, urging all Libyan parties to exercise restraint and place national interests above divisions.
They agreed that resolving the crisis requires a comprehensive approach addressing political, economic and social dimensions, while reaffirming support for the 5+5 Joint Military Commission and continued co-ordination with the United Nations, the Arab League and the African Union.
The meeting concluded with an agreement to hold the next round of talks in Algeria.
The Tunisian and Algerian ministers voiced appreciation to Egypt for hosting the current session, while the three sides pledged to maintain regular consultations in support of the Libyan people’s aspirations for peace, unity and development.
