Libyan FM to visit Tehran: Iran’s accredited ambassador to Libya

In an exclusive interview with ISNA, Mohammad Reza Raouf Sheibani said, “In 2016, following some internal developments in Libya and the conditions of this country, it was decided that the Iran’s embassy in Libya would end its work in this country, and since that year, Iran’s diplomatic relationship with this country has been in the form of a non-resident ambassador”.

Emphasizing that Iran supports solving Libya’s crisis through political means and believes that it is up to Libyan people to determine the destiny of their country, Sheibani insisted, “We are against any foreign interference in Libya’s internal affairs, and we are ready to share our experience with this country regarding the solving its crises”.

“Currently, Libya’s embassy in Tehran is working at the chargé d’affaires level. Following negotiations with Libyan officials, we came to this conclusion that Iran’s embassy in Libya should reopen. We also had conversation with Libyan Foreign Minister in this regard and officials from the Government of National Unity welcomed this decision,” he stated.

Sheibani announced, “Also, Iranian Foreign Minister, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian recently held a phone conversation with his Libyan counterpart and invited him to visit Tehran. We hope Libyan foreign minister will travel to Tehran in near future”.

He also stressed, “We have contacts with different political groups in Libya and we support the measures taken by the UN Secretary General’s Special Representative regarding the Libyan issue”.

Elsewhere in his remarks, the ambassador emphasized, “Although we do not have a large-scale diplomatic presence in Libya, last year the level of Iran’s trade interactions with Libya increased by 90%”.

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@Isna_Int