A Government of National Accord (GNA) Foreign Ministry delegation announced that it had held a meeting with their Tunisian counterparts. They discussed a number of important issues, primarily the re-opening of border crossings, and the resumption of flights.
In a statement, the GNA’s media office said that the Libyan and Tunisian officials agreed in principle, to urgently formulate a unified health protocol between the two countries.
They added that the agreement will be followed by the resumption of flights, and the re-opening of land crossings later this year.
The meeting was attended by Mahmoud Al-Telisi, the GNA’s delegation head, in addition to the directors of the Arab Administration, the International Cooperation Department, and the Consular Affairs in the Libyan MoFA.
During the meeting the two parties discussed the re-opening of border crossings and facilitating the movement of citizens between the two countries. They also tackled ways of enhancing bilateral relations in the coming period, as well as expediting the holding of the Libyan-Tunisian Joint Committee meetings.
On Sunday, dozens of Tunisian residents in the city of Ben Gardane staged large-scale protests over the closure of the Ras Al-Jedir border crossing with Libya. The Tunisian protesters set tires on fire in a number of the city’s main streets. This led to the deployment of security units that fired tear gas canisters to disperse the protesters, who deliberately pelted the security forces with stones.
Notably, Tunisia’s labour union in Ben Gardane called on the government to expedite the re-opening of the crossing, and to issue the health protocol that it has recently promised.