Egypt's foreign minister Sameh Shoukry is set to fly to Tunisia on Sunday to participate in a tripartite ministerial meeting with his Tunisian and Algerian counterparts to discuss the latest in the situation in Libya. Egypt's foreign ministry spokesman Ahmed Abu Zeid said in a statement that the talks will involve discussion on the political path and the security conditions in Libya. Abu Zeid added that Egypt's participation in the periodic meetings on Libya reflects the "special attention that Egypt gives to supporting all efforts to achieve stability in Libya, as well as accomplishing national reconciliation and implementing the UN-brokered Skhirat agreement of 2015." The spokesman said that the upcoming talks come at an important and sensitive time, when the UN envoy to Libya Ghassan Salama is intensifying his efforts to execute the political roadmap in Libya, as well as Egypt's efforts in helping unify the Libyan military institution. Abu Zeid also said that the talks come at a time when challenges related to counterterrorism and organised crime are on the rise, making it crucial for Egypt, Tunisia, and Algeria to boost coordination and consultation on all security and political levels. This week's meeting of the three FMs will be the fourth in 2017 and is part of a tripartite initiative by Egypt, Tunisia and Algeria to meet periodically to discuss the situation in Libya and coordinate efforts to end the crisis. In November, a round of the talks was held in Cairo where the three FMs reaffirmed their countries' support for Libya's stability and unity. Last week, Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi told the chairman of the Libyan Presidential Council Fayaz Al-Sarraj during a meeting in Cairo that a political agreement is the cornerstone for restoring stability in Libya, stressing the importance of continued efforts for political reconciliation, as well as efforts to help the UN envoy to Libya in his mission in the country for correspondence on different issues. Since late 2016, Egypt has been hosting a series of negotiations between the rival Libyan factions, stressing in these meetings the need for a political consensus to end the country's civil conflict.
