President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi affirmed on Thursday Egypt's readiness to provide the necessary means to help Libyans foster the required climate to hold the presidential and parliamentary elections scheduled at the end of the year. El-Sisi's remarks were made as he received Libya's interim Prime Minister Abdel-Hamid Dbeibah in Cairo three months before Libya's scheduled elections, Egyptian Presidential Spokesman Bassam Rady said.
Dbeibah has come to Egypt to take part in the meetings of the EgyptianLibyan Joint Higher Committee, which seeks to enhance trade and bilateral cooperation between the two African countries.
During his participation in the committee, Dbeibah is set to sign a number of agreements and memoranda of understanding with the Egyptian side.
Egypt's Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly and Chief of Egypt's General Intelligence Service Abbas Kamel attended the meeting between El-Sisi and Dbeibah, according to the presidency.
El-Sisi noted that Egypt's readiness to facilitate the Libyan elections comes within the framework of respecting and enforcing the appreciated will of the Libyan people.
This also comes on the basis of Egypt's foreign policy's principles that are based on cooperation, construction, development, and respecting the values and principles of good neighbourhood, the statement added.
Libya's Parliament Speaker Aguila Saleh signed a law last week allowing the country to hold a presidential election in December but has not yet agreed on a law for the parliamentary elections.
In March, a UN process known as the Libyan Political Dialogue Forum mandated both the presidential and parliamentary elections and the installation of an interim government in the meantime.
During the meeting on Thursday, El-Sisi "hailed the recent issuance of the election law by the Libyan House of Representatives as an important step on the way to implementing the road map approved by the Libyan people," the presidential statement read.
This should lead to holding the parliamentary and presidential elections, as scheduled, by the end of the year, the president said.
Boosting cooperation in all fields
Dbeibah hailed Egypt's efforts in supporting Libyan national institutions and transferring significant Egyptian expertise in the fields of reconstruction and development to Libya in a way that meets the Libyan people's aspirations towards a decent and safe life, the statement read.
The Libyan PM expressed his aspiration to boost relations between Egypt and Libya in all fields in a way that serves the interests of their peoples.
He also voiced his keenness to support Egyptian investments in various projects in Libya.
Dbeibah then affirmed Libya's strong appreciation — on the official and popular levels — of the very important role played by Egypt under the wise leadership of President El-Sisi to consolidate peace and stability in Libya.
He assured that this Egyptian role comes in light of the brotherly and historic relations bringing the two countries together, the statement read.
During the meeting, El-Sisi stressed the importance Egypt attaches to the restoration of stability in Libya and its return to the regional and international scene.
The president underlined Egypt's unwavering stance regarding respecting Libyan sovereignty and preserving its territorial integrity.
El-Sisi also affirmed Egypt's rejection of all forms of foreign interference in Libya's domestic affairs; stressing the importance of reinvigorating Libyan national institutions and unifying the Libyan national army to protect the resources of the Libyan people and enforce their free will.
The president hailed Dbeibah's endeavours on the domestic level to improve the living conditions of the Libyan citizens.
El-Sisi expressed his confidence in the Libyan people's ability to overcome all the immediate challenges they face until they are able to reconstruct a strong modern state that is capable of establishing the pillars of security and stability across Libya.
El-Sisi also met this week with Parliament Speaker Saleh and Libyan National Army commander Khalifa Haftar in Cairo.
During the meeting on Tuesday, Saleh and Haftar hailed Egypt's ongoing efforts to support the Libyan people in managing the transitional period as well as its contribution to uniting the Libyan army.
Signing 13 joint agreements
The talks conducted by the EgyptianLibyan Joint Higher Committee on Thursday are the first since the committee was revived this spring in the wake of a visit by Egypt's PM Madbouly in April accompanied by a delegation of 11 Egyptian ministers.
Minister of International Cooperation Rania Al-Mashat announced the preparation of 13 agreements to be signed during the committee's meeting in the presence of Madbouly and Dbeibah.
In April, both premiers witnessed the signing of 11 memoranda of understanding meant to boost cooperation ties between the two countries in various domains, including transportation, road infrastructure, and power linkage.
