LONDON: Syria will open its embassy in the capital of Libya, Tripoli, this week, 14 years after it was closed, as the two nations seek to enhance diplomatic and economic relations.
On Sunday, Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Al-Shaibani visited Libya and met with the acting Foreign Minister Taher Al-Baour.
The Libyan Foreign Ministry announced that the two parties had negotiated on the reopening of the Syrian embassy in Tripoli. It is hoped that the move will enhance diplomatic communication between the two nations and enhance consular services to their citizens.
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The ministry added that the officials also talked about the completion of procedures to re-open the Libyan-Syrian Joint Higher Committee and the signing of an agreement that regulates its work.
The committee will likely offer a framework of increasing collaboration in economic and development-related areas, among other areas of common interest.
In 2012, the Syrian Embassy in Tripoli was shut down. Preparations to reopen the embassy building started in August last year when a Syrian delegation hoisted the post-Assad national flag at the embassy building.
Al-Shaibani also paid a visit to Libyan Prime Minister and head of the Government of National Unity Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh to talk about bilateral cooperation, according to the Syrian Arab News Agency.
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The Syrian foreign minister also had discussions with the Libyan Oil and Gas Minister Khalifa Abdulsadek and Ali Mahmoud Hassan Mohamed, chairman and chief executive of the Libyan Investment Authority, on possible collaboration in the energy and investment fields.
The reopening of the embassy is accompanied by the fact that Damascus and Tripoli are trying to reestablish diplomatic contacts and increase practical cooperation after years of minimal official interaction.
