The French Foreign Minister, Jean-Yves Le Drian, is set to visit Algeria on Thursday. He is expected to review bilateral relations, and the latest regional developments, especially the situation in Libya.
Le Drian’s visit to Algeria will be his third since President Abdelmadjid Tebboune came to power.
Well-informed sources stated that the talks will mainly focus on the situation in Libya. Algeria intends to play an active role in solving the crises faced by the North African country.
Last week, Tebboune said that the only way to re-build the Libyan state was to hold legitimate elections, instead of resorting to minor solutions that do not pay off. He added that the crisis had worsened, due to the absence of institutions, and this vacuum existed even before the fall of Muammar Gaddafi’s regime in 2011.
Tebboune stated that the recent diplomatic efforts would not lead to any significant result. The Algerian President stressed that the primary goal in Libya, should be to obtain popular legitimacy. “It is important to hold elections in the country, regardless of the obstacles on the ground,” he said.
Holding elections would allow for the necessary legitimacy required to build other institutions in Libya. Tebboune added that after the elections, there will be a parliament, a prime minister, and perhaps even a president for the country.
Since late 2015, Libya has been split between two rival administrations: The Government of National Accord (GNA) in Tripoli, and the Libyan Parliament, based in Tobruk.