Syria and Libya Restore Diplomatic Ties and Reopen Tripoli Embassy After 14 Years

Syria and Libya have officially agreed to reopen Syria’s embassy in Tripoli after a 14-year closure, marking a major diplomatic milestone following high-level discussions. Interim Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Hassan al-Shaibani met with Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah of Libya’s internationally recognised government in Tripoli to restore bilateral ties and reactivate key coordination committees.

Al-Shaibani arrived in Tripoli on Sunday, as confirmed by a statement from Libya’s Government of National Unity (GNU). The country remains divided since 2014 between the Tripoli-based Government of National Unity, led by Dbeibah, and an eastern administration, led by Osama Hammad and supported by renegade military commander Khalifa Haftar. Amid these internal divisions, representatives of Libya’s rival factions signed an agreement on Sunday to conduct national elections within a two-year timeframe.

During the visit, Damascus and Tripoli agreed to revive the Libyan-Syrian Joint Higher Committee, which operates at the prime ministerial level to coordinate political, economic, and social relations. Furthermore, Dbeibah and al-Shaibani reached an agreement to open a Syrian consulate in Benghazi, thereby expanding diplomatic representation across the nation.

The discussions additionally encompassed security cooperation, counterterrorism efforts, consular services, and the plight of prisoners, detainees, and refugees from both nations. On the economic front, officials tackled unresolved financial obligations between Libyan and Syrian institutions. Al-Shaibani also held separate meetings with Libya’s oil and gas minister and the head of the country's investment authority to explore avenues for energy and investment collaboration.

The Syrian embassy in Libya had remained shuttered since 2012, following the decision by Libya’s Transitional National Council to recognize the Syrian opposition, which severed diplomatic ties during the era of former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Following the ouster of al-Assad by Syrian opposition forces in December 2024—which brought an end to 61 years of Baath Party rule—momentum for restoring ties grew. A Syrian delegation subsequently raised the post-Assad Syrian flag over the Tripoli embassy in August 2025, foreshadowing its official reopening. Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah described Sunday's discussions as the beginning of "a new chapter" anchored in shared interests, practical cooperation, and the resolution of outstanding disputes.