TRIPOLI, 9 September 2021, (TON): European Union High Representative/Vice-President Josep Borrell has said that I have had a very useful discussion with Foreign Minister [Najla El] Mangoush and this afternoon I will also have the pleasure to meet the President of the Presidential Council Mohammed Mnefi and Vice-Presidents Moussa al Kouni and Abdallah Hussein al Lafi.

He added that he hopes to have a possibility of having a phone call with Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeiba, I understand perfectly that he had to go to Tobruk to attend to a parliamentarian request.

I think I will also have the possibility to talk with the United Nations Special Envoy Ján Kubiš.

I am glad to say that Libya has achieved much progress in the past year: there is a ceasefire in place, unified political institutions and a road map to elections on 24 December.

When we met in Berlin in June, the Libyan government committed to implement these two agreements and we, the representatives of the international community, committed to support it.

Now it is time to implement and consolidate this progress. We are discussing with the Libyan authorities how the European Union can support Libya in these efforts in the coming months.

Time is flying. There are only 105 days to 24 December. This is the date that Libyans in the Political Dialogue Forum chose for holding presidential and parliamentary elections, coinciding with the 70th anniversary of the Libyan independence.

I think that there is no time to lose to approve the necessary legislation, go to the parliament, and start the necessary preparations. The European Union has already given technical support to the High National Election Commission and we are ready to do more.

Renewing the legitimacy of the Libyan institutions, reaffirming Libyan sovereignty and stabilising the country for all its people are goals that we believe must go hand in hand.