EU says Benghazi meetings cancelled over 'protocol issue,' vows continued engagement with Libya

BRUSSELS

The European Commission on Wednesday said that yesterday's high-level EU delegation’s meetings in Benghazi, eastern Libya, were called off due to a "protocol issue," adding that engagement with Libya will continue.

Speaking at the midday briefing, spokesperson Markus Lammert said the meetings in Benghazi were planned as part of a broader "Team Europe" visit.

"What happened in Benghazi was a protocol issue. This is why it was not possible to carry out the planned meetings... I will not go here into a blow-by-blow account of what happened exactly, but there was a protocol issue," he said, emphasizing that the EU will keep open channels of communication with all parties in Libya.

The commission's deputy chief spokesperson Stefan de Keersmaecker declined to provide further details, stressing that the visit had been organized jointly with EU member states. "We're not here playing a blame game," he said.

The visit, which included EU Commissioner for Internal Affairs and Migration Magnus Brunner, and the interior ministers of Italy, Greece, and Malta, aimed to deepen engagement with Libyan authorities amid rising irregular migration flows from the country.

While the delegation held what it described as "fruitful" talks in Tripoli with Libya's internationally recognized government, a planned stop in Benghazi was abruptly cancelled on Tuesday.

Libya's eastern-based parallel government, led by Osama Hammad, declared the European ministers "persona non grata" upon their arrival at Benghazi's Benina Airport, ordering them to leave immediately over what it called “violations” of diplomatic norms and Libyan law.

Maltese Interior Minister Byron Camilleri also said on Tuesday that the meeting scheduled in Benghazi was cancelled following "a protocol issue."