Egypt ready to support elections in Libya: President

ISTANBUL

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi on Thursday expressed his country's willingness and readiness to provide support for holding Libyan general elections on its scheduled time, on Dec. 24.

In his meeting with Libyan Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh in Cairo, al-Sisi stressed his country's fixed stance towards "respecting the Libyan sovereignty and preserving its territorial unity."

From his part, Dbeibeh voiced his country's appreciation for the Egyptian role in stabilizing peace in Libya, especially Egypt's support for the Libyan national institutions.

"Libya is looking to scale up ties with Egypt in all fields in the interest of the two brotherly nations," Dbeibeh said.

On Wednesday, the Libyan prime minister arrived in Cairo to meet Egyptian top officials along with attending the 11th meeting of the Egyptian-Libyan Joint Higher Committee, which focuses on strengthening cooperation and trade between the two countries.

In recent months, relations between Tripoli and Cairo improved following the visit of Egyptian Prime Minister Mustafa Madbouly to Tripoli in April, where Egypt expressed support for the new national unity government in Libya.

In February, Libya's rival political groups agreed to form an interim unity government to lead the country to elections in December.

A popular revolution ousted Libyan strongman Muammar Gaddafi in 2011. Ever since, the country fell into political deadlock and was engulfed by civil war, with Libyan warlord Khalifa Haftar seeking to seize power and overthrow the internationally recognized government.

* Writing by Ahmed Asmar in Ankara