Egypt’s Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry said that Egypt, Tunisia, and Algeria should be prepared for a possible influx of ISIS terrorists, who are fleeing defeats in Syria and Iraq, to Libya and its neighboring countries.
Shoukry stressed the importance of the three countries joining efforts to face security challenges and terror threats in Libya.
This came during Shoukry’s meeting with Tunisian President Beji Caid Essebsi and Algerian FM Abdel-Kader Messahel in Carthage Palace, headquarters of Tunisian presidency, on the sidelines of the ministerial meeting of the tripartite neighborhood mechanism on Libya.
Shoukry also discussed with Essebsi the latest developments in Libyan and Egyptian efforts to help reach a political resolution to the country's civil conflict as well as the plan set by UN envoy to Libya Ghassan Salame to achieve such a resolution, according to Egyptian foreign ministry spokesman Ahmed Abu Zeid.
The discussions, said Abu Zeid, also included Egyptian efforts, to unify various Libyan military factions, which are supported by all active Libyan sides as well as regional and international partners.
Shoukry expressed gratitude to the Tunisian President for his role in establishing the tripartite ministerial initiative between Egypt, Tunisia and Algeria to address the situation in Libya, which Shoukry said has effectively contributed to unifying stances and coordinating efforts on a regional and international status.
During the meeting, they stressed the responsibility placed on all Libyan parties to save their country from the present state of instability and urged Libyans to be responsible to achieve national consensus and to uphold the supreme interest of the nation over any other consideration.
On Sunday, Shoukry attended tripartite talks on the security and political situation in Libya with his two North African counterparts, Tunisian FM Khemaies Jhinaou and Messahel.
The ministers welcomed the recent Security Council statement on the situation in Libya, stressing the importance of the meeting, which sends a strong message to Libya and the international and regional community to reach a political settlement.
