Egyptian-Saudi Leaders Call for Withdrawal of Foreign Forces from Libya

Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman called for the removal of mercenaries and foreign forces from Libya without delay.

In a joint statement, the two Arab leaders stressed the need to preserve the unity and integrity of Libyan territory Libyan- Libyan solution without any dictates or external interference. El-Sisi and Bin Salman also affirmed the need to hold simultaneous presidential and parliamentary elections in Libya.

During the statement, the Saudi side valued the Egyptian efforts aimed at restoring security, unity and sovereignty of Libya, and hosting the work of the Libyan constitutional track in coordination with the United Nations.

The two sides reiterated their support for the efforts of the Libya’s Joint Military Commission (JMC), as well as the preservation of the ceasefire agreement signed in October 2020.

The Saudi-Egyptian statement came a day after Turkey announced it will extend the mission of its troops in Libya for another 18 months.

For his part, Libya’s Parliament-appointed Prime Minister Fathi Bashagha welcomed the Saudi-Egyptian meeting.

“I welcome the statement issued by Libya and Saudi Arabia, which stresses the importance of a Libyan-Libyan solution to reach simultaneous presidential and parliamentary elections, in addition to supporting the decisions issued by the House of Representatives as it is the legislative body of the country,” Bashagha tweeted.

“I renew my thanks to the leadership of the two countries and their keenness on unity and stability Libya,” he added.