Libyan leaders request cooperation for peacebuilding initiatives

On January 26, 2024, a delegation led by H.E. Mr. Abdullah Allafi, vice president of Libya’s Presidential Council, met with Dr. Atsushi Sunami, president of the Sasakawa Peace Foundation (SPF), to discuss the situation in Libya and peacebuilding initiatives.

During the meeting, Vice President Allafi and other participants expressed their intention to establish a peace institute to promote peacebuilding and national reconciliation in Libya and across the region, and discussed potential cooperation with SPF, which has experience and expertise in supporting peacebuilding and women's participation in politics.

SPF President Sunami responded that the foundation's activities cover a wide range of topics from peacebuilding to climate change, and expressed his willingness to consider possible areas for collaboration.

The Libyan delegation included Member of the Libyan House of Representatives Aymen Seifennaser, Minister of Oil and Gas Mohamed Oun, Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Eltaher S M Elbaour, and additional members.

Earlier this month, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan announced the reopening of the Embassy of Japan in Libya, which had been closed since 2014, citing improvements in the security situation in the country. 

While in Tokyo, Vice President Allafi and additional members from Libya attended a series of meetings with Japanese Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa and others.