Tunisia appoints first ambassador to Libya since 2014

15th September 2020 By: African News Agency

Tunisian President Kais Saied has appointed Al-Asad Al-Ajili as an ambassador to Libya, to be based in Tripoli, for the first time since 2014.

According to a report by online news publication The Libya Observer, the Tunisian foreign ministry said in a statement that the appointment of the ambassador comes as part of the annual diplomatic appointments.

The appointment has led to speculation in Libya that Tunisia will reopen its Tripoli embassy after a closure lasting six years, writes the Libya Herald.

According to reports, Tunisia closed its Tripoli embassy in October 2014, and its consulate general in July 2015, as a result of deteriorating security conditions and the kidnapping of Tunisian diplomats by suspected Libyan militants/extremists.

Meanwhile, last week Saied and acting special representative of the UN secretary-general to Libya Stephanie Williams discussed the latest developments in Libya during a meeting.

According to a report by Chinese-run Xinhua News Agency, President Saied stressed that the solution to the Libyan crisis should be based on the agreement of all its factions away from any foreign interference.

Meanwhile, SEE news reports that Saied proposed to host a national dialogue in Tunisia, which seeks to bring together various components of the Libyan people, with the president citing that his country is the most affected by the situation in Libya.

The oil-rich nation of Libya has been engulfed in turmoil since 2011, after a NATO-backed uprising overthrew long-time leader Muammar Gaddafi.

Since then, two rival governments, Commander Khalifa Haftar’s self-proclaimed Libya National Army in the East, and the UN-backed Government of National Accord headed by Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj, have been vying for control of the capital through attacks that have left thousands of Libyans destitute.