An inspection team from the Egyptian Civil Aviation Authority, accompanied by the Regional Director of EgyptAir, visited Misrata Airport on Saturday to review its operations and ensure its compliance with International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) recommendations.
The delegation’s visit included a meeting with Transport Minister, Mohamed Al-Shahoubi, and was attended by the relevant departments of the Civil Aviation Authority, Airport Authority, the airport’s General Manager, and the Head of Civil Aviation Security, among other security personnel at the airport.
Al-Shahoubi welcomed the delegation, expressing that the visit wasn’t limited to auditing the airport. It also aims to “consolidate relations and enhance joint cooperation between the two countries in several areas, especially the aviation sector.”
Notably, the Egyptian Parliament Speaker, Hanafi Jabali affirmed the need to hold Presidential and Parliamentary elections in Libya, away from foreign interference.
In his speech to the Libyan Parliament in Benghazi, Jabali said that Egypt “supports all settlement efforts and hosting meetings between the Parliament and the High Council of State (HCS) to support the political agreement.”
The Egyptian Speaker called on the Libyan political parties to “give priority to the Libyan interest over differences.” He confirmed Cairo’s support for “anything that helps the stability, unity, and safety of the Libyan State, and to hold simultaneous Presidential and Parliamentary elections as soon as possible.”
He pointed out that the agreement of the two Libyan chambers to set a constitutional rule represents a “starting point” towards building Libyan institutions.
The Libyan Parliament Speaker, Ageela Saleh, his two deputies and several MP’s participated in the session. While the Egyptian delegation included the Speaker and Chairpersons of Parliamentary committees.
The Egyptian delegation is set to “sign a cooperation protocol to consolidate bilateral relations between the two brotherly countries and enhance parliamentary cooperation.”
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.
The current stalemate grew out of the failure to hold elections in December 2021, and the refusal of Prime Minister Abdel-Hamid Dbaiba, who is leading the transitional government, to step down.
