On Wednesday, Head of Libya’s Presidential Council (PC), Mohamed Al-Mnifi held bilateral talks with his Algerian counterpart, Abdelmadjid Tebboune in Algiers.
In a statement, the Presidential Council’s media office said that the meeting touched on several issues of common concern, especially with regard to the security situation in southern Libya.
The two leaders discussed the executive steps needed to reopen their border crossings, and resume flights between the two countries. They stressed the importance of enhancing work to develop “joint technical and security cooperation between Libya and Algeria.”
“Algeria is ready to help the Libyans in making the voice of their country heard, and bringing aid and assistance to Libya… to resolve certain problems that have arisen,” Tebboune said.
He also reaffirmed Algeria’s position in favour of “holding elections that will confer more legitimacy,” and that Algiers favours the organization of “simultaneous parliamentary and presidential elections” in Libya.”
In turn, Al-Mnifi said he was “delighted” by Algerian support, according to Algeria’s official APS news agency.
The two leaders also discussed the “security in southern Libya”, given their countries share a near-1,000 kilometer border, the Libyan leader said.
“We hope to establish technical Algerian-Libyan cooperation, alongside bilateral security cooperation,” Al-Mnifi was quoted as saying.
Algeria is meanwhile seeking to play a more active role in Libya and the Sahel, and lately named Ramtane Lamamra, a highly experienced mediator, as foreign minister.
But Libya is struggling to emerge from a decade of violence and political rivalries, following its descent into chaos in the aftermath of the 2011 NATO-backed uprising against Muammer Gaddafi.
It currently has an interim government, under Prime Minister Abdel-Hamid Dbaiba, and the PC headed by Al-Mnifi, which have promised to hold polls before the end of the year.