On Sunday, the Saudi Foreign Minister, Prince Faisal bin Farhan affirmed his support for a Libyan-led solution, under the auspices of the United Nations.
This came during his meeting with the Special Representative of the UN to Libya and the Head of the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL), Abdoulaye Bathily in Riyadh.
The two also reviewed ways of advancing the political process in Libya, as well as the international efforts exerted to resolve this crisis.
Bin Farhan stressed the need to stop foreign interference in Libyan affairs. According to the Saudi Press Agency, the meeting was attended by Assistant Minister of State for African Countries Affairs, Ambassador Dr. Sami Al-Saleh.
Earlier this month, the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) stressed the need for foreign forces and mercenaries to leave Libya, according to the Saudi Press Agency (SPA).
This came during a meeting between the Secretary-General of the GCC, Jassim Muhammad Albudaiwi with the Chargé d’Affaires of the Libyan Embassy in Saudi Arabia, Fateh Bashina in Riyadh.
Albudaiwi affirmed the keenness of the council to “establish security and stability in Libya,” and called for the removal of all foreign forces and mercenaries from Libyan territory.
Albudaiwi said that the GCC “supports dialogue between all Libyan parties. We support the role of the United Nations and the efforts of its Envoy, Abdoulaye Bathily, to reach a political solution, hold elections, and unify state institutions to achieve the aspirations of the Libyan people.”
Last week, the Libyan Prime Minister-designate, Fathi Bashagha thanked Saudi Arabia for its efforts to evacuate members of the Libyan community stranded in Sudan, and to facilitate their return to Libya.
In a tweet, Bashagha confirmed the depth of brotherly relations between the two countries.
On his part, the Prime Minister of the Government of National Unity (GNU) Abdel-Hamid Dbaiba said: “We are following the process of evacuating Libyan nationals from Sudan. We appreciate the role of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in facilitating the procedures.”
The Libyan Embassy in Sudan said that 105 nationals have been evacuated to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
The Embassy stated that the Libyans who were evacuated were employees of the diplomatic mission and their families, students, and employees of Libyan institutions operating in Sudan. They were evacuated by sea through Port Sudan to Jeddah.
Libya has been in chaos since a NATO-backed uprising toppled longtime leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011. The county has for years been split between rival administrations, each backed by rogue militias and foreign governments.