TRIPOLI, Nov. 11 (Xinhua) -- Libyan UN-backed Foreign Minister Mohamed Sayala said that 30 foreign embassies have returned to Libya so far after more than three years of closure.
"The Schengen visas are being granted from inside Tripoli by the Italian embassy and the Turkish embassy, which are distinguished embassies operating in the capital," Sayala told Xinhua in a recent special interview.
Foreign embassies and diplomatic missions left Libya in 2014 due to heavy clashes that erupted in the capital between rival militias, which created the current political division.
Foreign missions began to return gradually since the end of 2016 after the UN-backed government took full control of the capital Tripoli.
"The foreign ministry is working on the return of all embassies and providing appropriate security conditions for their work from within the capital Tripoli," Sayala explained, noting that this "will facilitate communication of the Libyan people with the outside world to obtain entry visas."
Libya is currently negotiating with the U.S. State Department and working to meet the requests by the U.S. embassy to return to Libya, Sayala added.
"The requests include providing security. A high-level delegation from the U.S. State Department will visit Tripoli soon to see the embassy's headquarters in terms of location," Sayala said.
Libya has been suffering security vacuum and chaos since the fall of Muammar Gaddafi in 2011. The country is plagued by political division and unrest.
