Egypt's Defense Minister Abdel Majeed Saqr held talks on Sunday with Saddam Haftar, deputy commander of eastern Libya's forces, to discuss military cooperation between the two sides.
The meeting took place in Cairo as part of an official visit by Haftar, according to a statement from the Egyptian army.
Discussions covered prospects for bilateral military cooperation, as well as key regional and international developments and their implications for security and stability in the region.
Separately, Egyptian Chief of Staff Ahmed Khalifa received Haftar in an official ceremony at the Ministry of Defense headquarters in Cairo, army spokesperson Gharib Abdel Hafez said.
The two reviewed a number of issues of mutual interest in the context of strengthening bilateral military relations.
Khalifa expressed Egypt's appreciation for the "deep-rooted ties" between the Egyptian and Libyan armed forces, stressing the Egyptian military leadership's commitment to expanding cooperation across various defense fields.
He also underlined the importance of joint efforts to confront threats that could undermine Libya's security and stability.
Haftar praised Egypt's role in supporting the Libyan people and safeguarding the country's unity and territorial integrity, according to the statement, and commended Cairo's efforts to promote regional security and stability.
Libya, Egypt's western neighbor, remains divided between two rival governments: the internationally recognized Government of National Unity led by Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh in Tripoli, which controls western Libya, and a parallel administration appointed by the House of Representatives in early 2022 and headed by Osama Hammad, based in Benghazi and overseeing eastern Libya and much of the south.
The UN has for years been working to resolve institutional disputes that have stalled parliamentary and presidential elections in the oil-rich country.
