Diplomatic contact opportunities do not mean a rapid shift
LIBYA – Libyan political analyst Mohamed Mtairid has argued that Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Al-Shaibani’s visit to Benghazi and his meeting with Deputy Commander-in-Chief Lt Gen Saddam Haftar represent a first step towards building channels of diplomatic communication between Damascus and eastern Libya, without implying a rapid shift in relations.
Possible security, consular and trade files
Speaking on the “Nabd Africa” programme, Mtairid said the visit offered an opportunity to re-examine Libyan-Syrian relations and how they might be developed in future, adding that potential cooperation could cover security, consular and trade affairs, as well as issues concerning Syrians in Libya.
Political gap and the need to build trust
He said relations between the current Syrian administration and the leadership in eastern Libya still faced a political gap and differing calculations on each side, and that the outcome of the visit had not yet been officially made clear.
He argued that building trust and reaching an understanding on security files were a prerequisite for expanding economic and investment cooperation between the two sides.
