Egypt Reopens Embassy in Libya’s Tripoli After 12-Year Closure - ASHARQ AL-AWSAT English

Egypt reopened its historic embassy building in the Libyan capital, Tripoli, on Saturday during a visit by Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty. According to Euronews.com, Egypt originally closed the building in January 2014 after gunmen kidnapped five embassy staff, though its diplomatic mission had resumed work in Tripoli in May 2021. Libyan acting foreign minister Taher al-Baour joined Abdelatty at the inauguration ceremony. During the visit, Abdelatty met with Abdulhamid Dbeibah, prime minister of Libya's internationally recognised Government of National Unity, to discuss trade and reconstruction.

Al Jazeera reported that analysts view the reopening as a fundamental political shift for Egypt, which has long backed eastern-based military commander Khalifa Haftar and his self-styled Libyan National Army. Libyan political analyst Hazem al-Rayes noted that for five years no Egyptian foreign minister visited the capital, marking a readjustment in Cairo's approach. Elias al-Barouni, a political science professor at Nalut University, told Al Jazeera that the move indicates a rearrangement of priorities in dealing with the Libyan crisis. Professor Badr Hassan al-Shafei of Cairo University stated that Egypt realized relying solely on Haftar's party may not serve its strategic interests, especially given recent Turkish intervention and concerns regarding the Rapid Support Forces in Sudan.

Economic cooperation and energy projects were central to the discussions in Tripoli. Abdelatty met Libya's acting oil minister at the reopened embassy and called for faster progress on gas pipelines between the two countries and plans to refine Libyan crude in Egypt for export, with the Libyan minister agreeing to travel to Cairo for further talks, as reported by Euronews.com. Dbeibah praised the role of Egyptian companies and workers in rebuilding Libya, according to Egypt's foreign ministry. Abdelatty also raised Egypt's objections to a 2019 maritime boundary agreement between Turkey and Libya's then-government, stating that Egypt's concerns should be factored into maritime demarcation. Dbeibah told AlQahera News that officials from both countries will discuss maps and claims at their next meeting.