The Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) published a statement on Wednesday evening from the Syrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, expressing gratitude and appreciation to the Government of National Unity in Libya for its decision to exempt Syrian citizens residing in Libya from paying fees or fines required to regularize their residency status. The Syrian Foreign Ministry confirmed in its statement that the decision to regularize the status of residents in Libya “extends until the end of this year.” The ministry stated that this Libyan step reflects the strong relations between Damascus and Tripoli and provides significant support to the Syrian community in Libya, facilitating their residency conditions and transactions.
Earlier, in early August, the Syrian Foreign Ministry announced the dispatch of a technical delegation to Libya, headed by Mohamed Al-Jafal, “aimed at settling the legal status of Syrian citizens.” Al-Jafal expressed, “We are pleased to be tasked with the mission of raising the flag at the embassy building in Tripoli after an absence of more than 13 years.” He noted that “there are a number of files awaiting the Syrian mission in Tripoli, foremost among them the issue of illegal immigration, which is a very sensitive file, along with several legal issues that require extensive legal follow-up due to the long absence of official Syrian representation in Libya.”
It is noted that the Syrian embassy in Tripoli has been closed since 2012 following the Libyan Transitional Council’s recognition of the “Syrian revolution.” Since then, relations with Damascus have been severed during the era of former President Bashar al-Assad. In April, the head of the Libyan Government of National Unity agreed with the Syrian President for the transitional period, Ahmed Al-Shar’a, during a meeting on the sidelines of the Antalya Diplomatic Forum in Turkey, to activate the joint high committee to enhance cooperation between the two countries.
