On Thursday, France’s Ambassador to Libya, Beatrice le Fraper du Hellen, confirmed that the French Embassy will work to facilitate the issuance of visas for Libyans.
This came during a meeting with the Libyan Minister of the Interior Khaled Mazen at the Ministry’s headquarters in Tripoli. She also voiced her country’s unwavering support for maintaining stability in Libya, noting the strong and historical bilateral relations between the two countries. The ambassador also praised the ministry’s efforts to maintain security across the country.
In turn, Mazen explained that the Ministry of the Interior is harnessing all possible avenues to support upcoming elections in Libya, as these are the only way out of current crises suffered by the Libyan people.
During the meeting, the two sides discussed the Interior Ministry’s efforts to secure the upcoming elections and enhance aspects of joint security cooperation between the two countries.
The French Ambassador commended the significant progress made in Libya over the past year, during which a ceasefire was established, some political institutions were unified and a roadmap for elections was built.
The French diplomat also reiterated her country’s commitment to continue supporting Libyan authorities to approve the necessary legislation and make concrete preparations for upcoming elections in Libya.
In February 2021, the UN-sponsored Libyan Political Dialogue Forum (LPDF) selected a new unity government and presidency council, ending years of political division in the country. The new executive authority’s main task is to prepare for general elections to be held on December 24, as approved by the LPDF.
Notably, the French Ambassador met on Monday with both the Senior Director of Energy Capital & Power, James Chester, and the Deputy Director of the American-Libyan Chamber of Commerce in Libya, Ahmed Al-Ghazali, a representative of Energy Capital & Power and the local partner of Libya Energy & Economic Summit.
During the meeting, the two sides discussed France’s support for the Libya Energy & Economic Summit to be held in the Libyan capital, Tripoli, in November. The Libya Energy & Economic Summit will be held on 22-23 November 2021, and represents the first major energy conference to be held in-person in Tripoli for a decade.