Egypt officially reopened its historic embassy building in the Libyan capital of Tripoli on Saturday. The ceremony took place during a visit by Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty, who was joined by Libya’s acting foreign minister, Taher al-Baour, for discussions covering energy, trade, and a contentious maritime boundary.
The embassy had been shuttered since January 2014, when the facility closed following the kidnapping of five embassy staff members. Although the Egyptian diplomatic mission had already resumed operations in Tripoli in May 2021, the physical reopening of the historic building marks a significant step in the restoration of bilateral relations.
During his visit, Minister Abdelatty held meetings with Abdulhamid Dbeibah, the prime minister of Libya’s internationally recognized Government of National Unity. According to the Egyptian foreign ministry, the two officials explored strategies to facilitate trade, with Dbeibah acknowledging the contributions of Egyptian companies and labor to the reconstruction of Libya.
Energy cooperation also featured prominently in the talks. Abdelatty met with Libya’s acting oil minister at the reopened embassy, where he advocated for the accelerated development of gas pipelines between the two nations and discussed proposals to refine Libyan crude oil within Egypt for international export. Libya’s state news agency reported on Sunday that the acting oil minister intends to travel to Cairo to continue these negotiations.
Beyond economic cooperation, the visit addressed ongoing geopolitical friction. Abdelatty formally raised Egypt’s objections to a 2019 maritime agreement established between Turkey and the previous Tripoli-based government. The Egyptian foreign ministry stated that Cairo believes its concerns must be integrated into future maritime boundary delineations. Prime Minister Dbeibah confirmed to the Egyptian broadcaster Al-Qahera News that officials from both countries are scheduled to review maps and their respective territorial claims during upcoming meetings.
