CAIRO /ISTANBUL

Egypt, Tunisia, and Algeria—Libya’s three neighboring countries—on Saturday called on all Libyan parties to put an “immediate” end to escalation and hold simultaneous parliamentary and presidential elections.

The call was made in a joint statement released by the Egyptian Foreign Ministry following a Libya-related trilateral meeting in Cairo.

Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty, Tunisian Foreign Minister Mohamed Ali Nafti, and Algerian Foreign Minister Ahmed Attaf attended the meeting as part of a tripartite neighborhood coordination mechanism.

According to the statement: “The foreign ministers of Egypt, Tunisia, and Algeria held a meeting in Cairo within the framework of resuming the tripartite coordination mechanism to review developments in Libya and push toward the desired political solution.

"In light of the serious developments in Libya and the latest security situation in the capital, Tripoli, the ministers renewed their call for all Libyan parties to exercise maximum restraint and immediately de-escalate, in a way that ensures the safety of the Libyan people.”

The joint statement emphasized the importance of advancing Libya's political process, including unifying institutions and holding simultaneous parliamentary and presidential elections.

None of the Libyan factions responded immediately to the trilateral meeting's statement.

The tripartite mechanism between Egypt, Algeria, and Tunisia was launched in 2017 but was suspended in 2019.

According to another statement from the Egyptian Foreign Ministry, the Cairo meeting will reactivate this joint mechanism, reflecting the three countries' commitment to supporting peace and stability in Libya.

The three countries emphasized “the urgent need to reach a resolution to the Libyan crisis and end the state of political division, to avoid further escalation, violence, terrorism, and the widening scope of conflict.”

The ministers agreed that the tripartite neighborhood mechanism should meet regularly, with the next meeting scheduled for Algeria, followed by Tunisia, before the end of the year.

The meeting came nearly two weeks after renewed security tensions in the Libyan capital, Tripoli, involving armed clashes between the Government of National Unity forces and other armed groups, as well as political tensions marked by protests both in opposition to and in support of the unity government.

Libya continues to face political division between two rival governments since 2022, the internationally recognized administration of Dbeibeh in Tripoli, and a parallel government led by Osama Hammad based in Benghazi, supported by the eastern-based parliament.​​​​​​​

UN-led efforts to hold national elections remain stalled, prolonging the oil-rich country's decade-long conflict and instability.