President Emmanuel Macron said on Tuesday that his country will reopen its embassy in Tripoli next Monday 29 of March 2021. The embassy was closed along with many other embassies in August and September 2014 after factional war erupted in the capital Tripoli.
Macron announced the news during a meeting at the Elysée Palace with the new President of the Libyan Presidential Council Mohammed Menfi has deputy Mousa Al-Kouni.
Macron said “as of Monday, our embassy in Tripoli will reopen, and our ambassador, who has never ceased to work to make it happen will tread your soil to put in place everything we talked about with you”.
He also stressed the need to carry out the elections in Libya according to marked deadline of 25 December 2021.
According to news agencies, President Macron said that France and its allies would ensure that all foreign fighters, particularly those from Russia and Turkey, leave Libya “as soon as possible.”
“We don’t just support you with words and it’s not window dressing – France’s support will be total. First, because we are indebted towards Libya and Libyans. It’s very clear. A decade of disorder”, he said.
The UN Security Council has called on countries with troops and mercenaries in Libya to withdraw them “without delay.”
The UN has estimated that there are 20,000 foreign fighters in Libya, including Syrians, Turkish, Sudanese and Russians brought to the country by the rival sides.