The United Kingdom has expressed concern that recent actions regarding changes in the leadership of the Central Bank of Libya severely complicate Libya’s relations with international banks.
The UK called for a swift agreement on a political process to ensure effective and transparent leadership at the Central Bank.
The statement was made by Hamesh Falkoner, the UK Minister for Middle East and North Africa Affairs, on Sunday. The statement noted growing concerns over the Central Bank crisis, including those from global financial institutions.
Minister Falkoner urged Libyan actors to work diligently with the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) to swiftly agree on a political process guaranteeing effective and transparent leadership at the Central Bank.
On Saturday, the US State Department reported that some banks have “temporarily halted their financial dealings” with the Central Bank of Libya, noting that American and international banks are “reassessing” their relationships with the institution due to uncertainty stemming from the recent “unilateral” actions, as described by Washington.
However, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Libya’s interim Government of National Unity said it understands the concerns over what it described as “campaigns of misinformation and falsehoods targeting Libyan state institutions.”
The ministry highlighted that the new board of the Central Bank had smoothly taken over its duties, begun activating various systems, and had received positive responses from the international banking system.
