Iran plans to reopen embassy in Libyan capital
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Iran and Libya look to restore diplomatic ties and discuss various issues on the bilateral agenda.
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Libya's Foreign Minister Najla El Mangoush attends a meeting by Libya's neighbors as part of international efforts to reach a political settlement to the country's conflict, in the Algerian capital Algiers, on August 30, 2021. (AFP)
Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian discussed on the phone with his Libyan counterpart, Najla El Mangoush, on March 2, the possible reopening of Tehran's embassy in Tripoli, Iranian media reported.
Amir-Abdollahian also spoke with his Saudi and Syrian counterparts on Sunday.
El Mangoush also accepted an invitation to visit Tehran, the Tasnim news agency reported. Moreover, the two discussed various issues on the bilateral agenda and congratulated each other on the occasion of the holy month of Ramadan, the report said.
The Iranian embassy closed in Libya's capital following the political crisis in 2011, when the country's leader, Muammar Gaddafi, was killed. Upon his death, the country was dragged into a decade-long rivalry between the UN-backed administration in Tripoli and the parliament in Tobruk.
An UN-brokered reconciliation process put a caretaker unity government in charge in 2021, but it failed to hold elections in December as scheduled.
This comes after Iran and Saudi Arabia restored diplomatic ties. Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian and his Saudi counterpart Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud discussed the developments of the reestablishment of bilateral relations between the two countries.
During a phone call, Amir-Abdollahian and bin Farhan mainly talked about the process to restore all diplomatic ties and considered it a top priority between the two Islamic nations.
After seven years of strained ties, Iran and Saudi Arabia announced on March 10 that they agreed to restore diplomatic relations and re-open their embassies after a series of talks brokered in Beijing, China, under the auspices of Chinese President Xi Jinping.
According to the joint statement, "The Islamic Republic of Iran and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia have agreed to resume diplomatic ties and reopen embassies and missions within two months of talks."
Moreover, Iran and Saudi Arabia said they "thank the Republic of Iraq and the Sultanate of Oman for hosting the talks held between the two sides in 2021 and 2022, as well as the leaders and government of the People's Republic of China for hosting and supporting the talks held in that country."
