By Hussien Elkabany
CAIRO (AA) - Egyptian Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Ahmed Khalifa met Eastern Libyan commander Khalifa Haftar in Benghazi during a visit to Libya, the Egyptian military said Friday.
The meeting took place as Khalifa attended the closing session of the first conference of chiefs of staff from Mediterranean Basin and Sub-Saharan African countries, held in Benghazi from Feb. 10 - 12 under the theme Joint Cooperation to Combat Cross-Border Crime.
An Egyptian army statement said Khalifa also met Haftar’s deputy, Saddam Haftar, and Chief of Staff Khaled Haftar. The discussions focused on military relations and the convergence of views serving the shared interests of both sides.
The conference addressed ways to strengthen military and security cooperation among participating countries to bolster regional stability, protect shared interests, counter irregular migration and combat terrorism, the Egyptian army said.
Libya remains split between two rival administrations: the internationally recognized Government of National Unity, led by Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh and based in Tripoli, which governs western Libya, and an eastern-based government appointed by the House of Representatives in early 2022 and headed by Osama Hammad, operating from Benghazi and administering the east and much of the south.
The UN has for years sought to bridge divisions between the rival institutions and pave the way for long-delayed parliamentary and presidential elections aimed at reunifying the oil-rich country.
*Writing by Mohammad Sio in Istanbul