Egypt FM to visit Algeria over development in Libya

Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry is heading to Algeria over the recent escalations in Libya, said the country's Foreign Ministry in a statement on Thursday.

"Shoukry carries a message from Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi to his Algerian counterpart, Abdelmadjid Tebboune," said the Foreign Ministry in a statement.

Shoukry will discuss with the Algerian foreign minister means of enhancing and pushing forward the mutual ties in all fields as well as consult over the Libyan crisis, the statement added.

Concerned about its 1,200-km western border with Libya where the smuggling of arms and militants has been very active since the ouster and killing of former leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, Egypt has been pushing for diplomatic ways to settle the Libyan crisis without foreign intervention.

On Wednesday, the foreign ministers of Egypt, France, Greece and Cyprus described the two deals signed between Turkey and Libya's Tripoli-based government on maritime boundaries delimitation and security as "invalid."

Last week, the Turkish parliament approved a motion authorizing the government to deploy Turkish troops in Libya, which was considered by several states as Turkish intervention in Libyan domestic affairs.

Libya has been engaged in a civil war since 2011. The Libyan conflict escalated in 2014, splitting power between two rival governments.

(XINHUA)