Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukri reiterated Egypt’s support to the Libyan people and to continued regional and international efforts to end their crisis and achieve their aspirations.
Addressing a conference held in Tripoli on Thursday in support of stability in Libya, Shoukri referred to President Abdel Fattah El Sisi’s keenness on giving due attention to Libya through taking part in all events related to the crisis, and meeting the political and social forces and tribal leaders in the country.
The objective is to restore Libya’s stability, territorial integrity and sovereignty, as well as preserve its national capabilities, he added, according to a statement by the foreign ministry in Cairo.
The Tripoli conference comes at a significant point in the Libyan crisis as “fellow Libyans are moving ahead with confident steps towards the implementation of the roadmap, which they approved to make for the future through holding the presidential and parliamentary elections slated for December 24, the Egyptian chief diplomat said.
He also voiced hopes for a successful completion of the elections on time “with no exclusion or marginalisation, in a way that befits the value and history of the brotherly Libyan people, so that the country could restore its position and active Arab and regional role.”
Stability has indispensable requirements, which start with ending violence and escalation, setting up bridges of peace, and opening up horizons for achieving overall national reconciliation, in a way that secures sustainability of social peace and maintains Libya’s identity and national fabric, he said.
Essential to achieving stability in Libya is the full implementation of the UN Security Council Resolution No 2570, and the outcome of the second Berlin conference on Libya, the Arab League and the African Union decisions, as well as Libya’s neighbours, he stressed.
Shoukri urged participants in the Tripoli conference to identify instruments for the implementation and monitoring of the completion of the withdrawal of foreign troops and mercenaries, and foreign fighters from Libya in a clear time frame.
The presence of these troops and mercenaries is the major problem that impedes achieving sovereignty and unity in Libya, and affects the country’s security as well as that of the neighbouring Arab and African countries.
Foreign ministers of Egypt, Tunisia, Algeria, Kuwait and France attended the conference, together with the UN Undersecretary General for Political and Peace Affairs, Rosemary Di Carlo, the US Acting Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs, Yael Lempert, and Niels Annen of Germany’s Foreign Office.
Arriving in Tripli ahead of the conference on Thursday, Shoukri held a meeting with Prime Minister of the Libyan Government of National Unity (GNA) Abdel Hamid Dbeibeh.
Shoukri referred to Egypt’s keenness on supporting Libya, through bilateral relations, as well as boosting endeavours to conclude an overall political settlement in the North African country, and the implementation of the provisions of the roadmap approved by the Libyan people.
Later in the day, Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukri held talks with Mohamed al-Menfi, Head of Libya’s Presidential Council, and his two deputies. They discussed the latest developments in the situation in Libya and the ongoing preparations for holding the presidential and parliamentary elections on their due date, slated at the end of this year.
Minister Shoukri stressed during the talks that the electoral process is an essential step to push the country forward by allowing the brotherly Libyan people to express their free will.
He reiterated that “Egypt will spare no effort to support stability in Libya in a way that meets the aspirations of its people towards a unified, secure and prosperous homeland, which shares with Egypt a long history and common destiny”.
For his part, Mr al-Manfi expressed his appreciation and pride in the solid relations that bind the two brotherly peoples, praising the current development taking place in Egypt at present.
He also expressed the Libyan leadership’s aspiration to benefit from the Egyptian expertise with the aim of developing Libyan capabilities and advancing the development process in Libya.
