TUNIS, Tunisia / ISTANBUL

The foreign ministers of Tunisia, Egypt and Algeria are scheduled to meet in Algiers on Thursday as part of a tripartite consultation mechanism on the situation in Libya.

Tunisia’s Foreign Ministry said Minister Mohamed Ali Nafti will join his Egyptian counterpart, Badr Abdelatty, and Algeria’s Ahmed Attaf for the talks in the Algerian capital.

The ministry said the meeting will review the latest developments in Libya and discuss joint efforts by the three neighboring states, in coordination with the UN Support Mission in Libya, to “continue backing and encouraging an intra-Libyan dialogue.”

The agenda also includes ways to “create the proper conditions for a comprehensive political settlement that preserves Libya’s sovereignty and national unity and strengthens its security, stability and development path under UN sponsorship,” the statement said.

Egypt’s Foreign Ministry said Abdelatty traveled to Algiers on Wednesday and will hold talks with senior Algerian officials on bilateral ties and regional issues of mutual concern.

Abdelatty will also take part in the tripartite Libya meeting, which will include UN Special Envoy to Libya Hanna Tetteh, it added.

The three-way mechanism was launched in 2017 but was suspended in 2019 before resuming in May, when the foreign ministers met in Cairo. At the time, they urged all Libyan parties to “exercise maximum restraint and halt escalation immediately to protect civilians,” according to a joint statement.

Libya remains split between two administrations: a government appointed by the House of Representatives in early 2022 and based in Benghazi, led by Osama Hammad, which controls the east and much of the south; and the internationally recognized Government of National Unity, led by Abdelhamid Dbeibah in Tripoli, which runs the west.

Libyans hope long-delayed elections will end years of political division and conflict that have persisted since the 2011 overthrow of ruler Muammar Gaddafi.