Libyan embassy in Cairo demands exemption of citizens from paying entrance fees

The Libyan embassy in Cairo has called on Egyptian authorities to exempt Libyan citizens from the decision to impose fees on those wishing to enter Egypt.

The Libyan embassy in Cairo said in a statement, of which Al-Ain Al-Ekhbariya received a copy, that the charge d’affaires of the Libyan embassy in Egypt Tarek Misbah Al-Haweej addressed the Egyptian Foreign Ministry regarding the decision to impose fees on travelers wishing to enter Egyptian territory.

In an official memorandum, the Libyan embassy’s charge d’affaires called on the Egyptian authorities to exempt Libyan citizens from paying such fees in accordance with the agreement signed between the two countries in 1992 that regulates the rights of movement, residence, work and ownership between the two peoples.

The Egyptian Minister of the Interior had issued a decree stipulating that travelers wishing to enter Egyptian territory should be subject to a fee of $25 per terminal.

Ten agreements

In 1992, Egypt and Libya signed an agreement regulating all aspects of co-operation between the two countries, including the abolition of entry visas for citizens of both countries.

Last week, the Libyan Ministry of Labor and its Egyptian counterpart signed an agreement to facilitate the entry of Egyptian workers into Libya and to activate a memorandum of co-operation signed between the two ministries in 2013 on bringing Egyptian workers to Libya.

The Libyan Embassy said that an electronic link between the Libyan Ministry of Labor and its Egyptian counterpart will be launched to provide an integrated database of data and information related to the needs of the Libyan market in terms of Egyptian labor. The database will also facilitate the procedures and mechanism of entry of the Libyan Ministry of Labor in coordination with the Department of Passports through ports in both countries.

Joint commission

The two sides also agree to form a permanent joint committee between the two ministries for this purpose and arrange for an Egyptian technical delegation to visit Libya to complete the remaining technical arrangements.

A high-ranking source said in statements to Al-Ain Al-Ekhbariya that the meeting was part of the framework of restoring relations and Egypt’s support for the new government and the return of reconstruction and stability in Libya.

He continued, “The meeting witnessed the transfer of Egyptian expertise in the field of labor and the discussion of the return of Egyptian workers to Libya to participate in the reconstruction of the neighboring country”