Dutch embassy in Libya reopens after three years

The Netherlands again has an ambassador in Libya. Ambassador Eric Stating arrived in the capital city of Tripoli and is busy setting up an office, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced. 

The embassy in Tripoli closed in 2014 when the situation in Libya became too dangerous, NOS reports. Since then, the embassy for Libya is based in Tunis. This embassy will remain open in addition to the newly reopened embassy in Tripoli.

In a statement, Minister Bert Koenders of Foreign Affairs said that the Netherlands is committed to help restore stability in Libya. A civil war has raged in the country since 2011. Multiple terrorist groups are still active there, and the country is also the main crossing point for asylum seekers and undocumented migrants to Europe.

According to Koenders, opening an embassy office in Tripoli provides better opportunity to restore diplomatic contacts with Libya, support stabilization projects and to follow migration developments. Koenders also announced that the Netherlands is contributing 1.5 million euros to the Tripoli Security Plan, a project aimed at increasing safety in the Libyan capital.