On Monday, the Italian Foreign Ministry’s Special Envoy to Libya, Nicolae Orlando affirmed his commitment to working with France to help Libyans overcome the current crisis, and hold elections.
These remarks came during his meeting with his French counterpart, Paul Soler to discuss the political crisis in Libya, and possible solutions.
“The urgency of preserving the Libyan political process was central to my consultations with Soler in Paris. Italy and France share the goal of Libya’s unity and stability. We are committed to working together to help the Libyans resolve the current impasse and go to elections,” Orlando tweeted.
During the past few days, both envoys visited Libya, during which they met the Head of the Libyan Presidential Council, Mohamed Al-Mnifi and a number of senior officials.
They urged their Libyan interlocutors to support the UN-facilitated political process. As well as mediation efforts led by the UN Secretary General’s Special Advisor to Libya (SASG), Stephanie Williams, in order to agree on the constitutional basis for the elections.
According to the French Embassy in Libya, the two parties agreed on the need to preserve the unity of Libya, and hold simultaneous Presidential and Parliamentary elections.They also stressed the importance of fully implementing the ceasefire agreement through the 5+5 Joint Military Commission (JMC)
The country has been in turmoil since the overthrow of Muammar Gaddafi’s regime in 2011, which led to a series of conflicts that only ended with a ceasefire in 2020.
Libya’s Presidential elections were originally scheduled for December 2021, and then postponed indefinitely. Earlier this month, protesters stormed the Libyan Parliament in the eastern city of Tobruk, and set parts of it on fire.