Egypt reopened its historic embassy building in Tripoli on Saturday, Nov. 7, during a visit by Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty, Euronews reported. Egypt closed the building in January 2014 after gunmen kidnapped five embassy staff, Euronews reported. Its diplomatic mission resumed work in Tripoli in May 2021.
The talks in Tripoli
Abdelatty met Abdulhamid Dbeibah, prime minister of Libya’s internationally recognized Government of National Unity, Euronews reported. Dbeibah praised the role of Egyptian companies and workers in rebuilding Libya, Egypt’s foreign ministry said. Abdelatty also called for faster progress on gas pipelines and on plans to refine Libyan crude in Egypt, Euronews reported.
The maritime dispute
Abdelatty raised Egypt’s objections to a 2019 maritime agreement between Turkey and Tripoli’s then government, his ministry said. Dbeibah told Al-Qahera News that officials would discuss maps and claims at their next meeting, Euronews reported. Libya’s eastern parliament ratified the agreement on Oct. 20. Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan called it “an entirely legitimate agreement, both from a legal and a political perspective,” Euronews reported.
A shift in Cairo’s approach
Egypt has long backed Khalifa Haftar, whose forces dominate eastern Libya, Euronews reported. Analysts told Al Jazeera the reopening marks a political shift. “Instead of limiting itself to political and diplomatic objection from outside Tripoli, Cairo has become negotiating directly with the Libyan government that signed the agreement,” Badr Hassan al-Shafei, a Cairo University professor, told Al Jazeera.
Elias al-Barouni, a professor at Libya’s Nalut University, cautioned that many issues remain. “The Libyan problem is not merely a dispute over the name of the head of government,” he told Al Jazeera. More coverage is in The Boston Report’s World News section.
Sources
- Euronews: Egypt reopens Tripoli embassy after 12 years
- Al Jazeera: Egypt’s reopening of its embassy in Tripoli signals regional shift on Libya
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