Syria Reopens Embassy in Libya After 14 Years

Syria and Libya have agreed to reopen Syria’s embassy in Tripoli, which has been closed for 14 years, and to reactivate a committee for coordinating bilateral ties. This agreement was reached during talks between Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah of Libya’s Government of National Unity and Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Hassan al-Shaibani. Al-Shaibani arrived in Tripoli on Sunday to meet with Libyan officials, as stated by Libya’s Government of National Unity (GNU). Libya has been divided since 2014 between the Tripoli-based Government of National Unity, led by Dbeibah, and an eastern administration led by Osama Hammad and backed by military commander Khalifa Haftar. On Sunday, representatives of Libya’s rival governments signed a deal to hold national elections within two years. Damascus and Tripoli signed an agreement to reactivate the Libyan-Syrian Joint Higher Committee, which is tasked with coordinating political, economic, and social ties between the two countries. Dbeibah and al-Shaibani also agreed to open a Syrian consulate in Benghazi, enhancing diplomatic representation between the two states. The discussions included topics such as security cooperation, counterterrorism, consular services, and the status of prisoners, detainees, and refugees from both countries. Economically, they addressed unresolved financial dues between Libyan and Syrian institutions. The Syrian foreign minister also met with Libya’s oil and gas minister and the country’s investment authority chief to discuss energy and investment cooperation. The Syrian embassy in Libya has been closed since 2012 after Libya’s then-Transitional National Council recognized the Syrian opposition, leading to a severance of diplomatic relations during the rule of then-Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Syrian opposition forces ousted al-Assad in December 2024, ending 61 years of Baath Party rule. In August 2025, a Syrian delegation raised the post-Assad Syrian flag over the Tripoli embassy, indicating that its reopening was imminent. Dbeibah described Sunday’s meeting as the start of a new chapter in their relations, emphasizing the need for cooperation based on shared interests and addressing outstanding issues.