Yesterday, Saturday (November 7, 2026), Egypt reopened its embassy in the Libyan capital, Tripoli, after closing it in 2014 due to the political division and related violence.
Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdel Ati opened the embassy headquarters, where he also participated in a session of the Community of Sahel-Saharan States.
Abdel Ati said in a press conference that the reopening of the embassy headquarters “reflects the depth of the relationship and the historical and geographical interdependence that brings together the two brotherly peoples.”
Libya is seeking to recover from the chaos that followed the overthrow of Muammar Gaddafi in 2011.
Cairo closed its embassy in Tripoli in 2014, when many foreign diplomatic missions closed their doors there amid an escalating conflict that resulted in the emergence of two competing governments in the west and east of the country.
There are eastern Libyan forces (the Libyan National Army) led by Khalifa Haftar, along with the House of Representatives and a government headed by Osama Hammad in Benghazi.
In the West, there is the internationally recognized National Unity Government headed by Abdel Hamid Dabaiba, in addition to the Supreme Council of State in Tripoli.
Egypt has supported Haftar since his rise in eastern Libya, but it has also converged with the government in Tripoli in recent years.
The reopening of the embassy comes weeks after the Libyan Parliament in Benghazi ratified an agreement to demarcate the maritime borders with Türkiye, which raised objections from Cairo, which considered that the agreement violated its maritime zone.
A step to resolve the political process in Libya?
According to a statement issued by the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs today, Sunday (November 8, 2026), Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdel Ati affirmed his country’s support for all efforts aimed at moving the political process forward in Libya, during his meeting with Hannah Tetteh, Special Representative of the Secretary-General of the United Nations in Libya and Head of the United Nations Support Mission in Libya, yesterday, Saturday, at the headquarters of the Egyptian Embassy in Tripoli.
The official spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Nader Zaki, stated that during the meeting, the overall international efforts aimed at moving the political process in Libya were reviewed, where Abdel Ati stressed Egypt’s adherence to the political solution based on a comprehensive dialogue, within the framework of a broad national consensus, and in accordance with the terms of reference for the solution, most notably the Skhirat Agreement, and without external dictates, leading to a political settlement that preserves the unity of Libya, preserves the institutions of the Libyan state, and ensures their unification.
For her part, the UN envoy praised the level of close cooperation between Egypt and the UN mission, stressing the United Nations’ aspiration to continue coordination with Egypt to ensure the success of the political track and the consolidation of the foundations of peace and security throughout Libya.
Historical and diplomatic implications
During the reopening ceremony of the Egyptian Embassy headquarters in Tripoli, Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdel Ati confirmed that the historical building of the embassy carries historical and diplomatic connotations that reflect the depth of Egyptian-Libyan relations and the continued role of the embassy as a bridge for cooperation between the two countries.
The Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs website quoted him as saying that the building “is part of Tripoli’s memory and a witness to its political and diplomatic history. It also embodies the deep-rooted human and cultural ties between Egypt and Libya and preserves an aspect of their common heritage.”
He added that the historic building “represents an inseparable part of the memory of the city of Tripoli and a witness to its political and diplomatic history, and its historical value coincides with the solid humanitarian and cultural ties that Egyptian-Libyan relations carry.”
