UAE, Libya leaders seek lasting peace in region

UAE President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan received Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh, Prime Minister of Libya’s Government of National Unity, who is on a working visit to the UAE.

The two sides discussed bilateral relations and ways to further strengthen cooperation in support of mutual interests and the wellbeing of the two countries and their peoples.

Sheikh Mohamed and Dbeibeh also exchanged views on a number of regional issues, including developments in the Middle East and ongoing efforts to promote lasting peace and stability across the region for the benefit of all its peoples.

Separately, Sheikh Mohamed has issued Federal Decree No. (94) of 2026 restructuring the International Humanitarian and Philanthropic Council under the chairmanship of Sheikh Theyab Bin Mohamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Chairman of the Presidential Court for Development and Fallen Heroes’ Affairs.

Under the decree, the Council’s members are Dr Thani Bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, Minister of Foreign Trade; Reem Bint Ebrahim Al Hashimy, Minister of State for International Cooperation; Sheikh Shakhboot Bin Nahyan Al Nahyan, Minister of State at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Saeed Bin Mubarak Al Hajeri, Minister of State at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Dr Mugheer Khamis Al Khaili, Secretary-General of Erth Zayed Philanthropies; Dr Tareq Ahmed Al Ameri, Chairman of the UAE Aid Agency; and Mohamed Saif Al Suwaidi, Director-General of Abu Dhabi Fund for Development.

The International Humanitarian and Philanthropic Council was established in January 2024 under a Federal Decree issued by Sheikh Mohamed.

The Council reports to the Chairman of the Presidential Court and is mandated to oversee all matters related to international humanitarian affairs.

Recently, flydubai inaugurated its inaugural service to Benghazi in Libya, becoming the first UAE carrier to operate flights to Benghazi Benina International Airport (BEN).

With the launch of its three-times-weekly service to Benghazi, flydubai expands its network in Africa to 13 destinations across nine countries.

The inaugural flight touched down to a water cannon salute and a warm welcome from local airport officials.

Flights will operate from Terminal 3, Dubai International (DXB) three times a week on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.

“With the busy summer period upon us and as we continue to scale up our operations, our customers can benefit from a new gateway to Africa with the launch of our new nonstop service to Benghazi. We are already seeing healthy demand for our three weekly flights to Benghazi and look forward to growing our presence in Libya over the years,” said Hamad Obaidalla, Chief Commercial Officer at flydubai.

Sudhir Sreedharan, Divisional Senior Vice President of Commercial Operations at flydubai, said, “Africa remains a strategically important market for flydubai, and we are pleased to have added Benghazi to our network.”

The new service is offered as part of the flydubai and Emirates codeshare partnership, enabling passengers to benefit from smoother itineraries, a single ticket, through check-in of baggage and access to an extensive combined network.

In March this year, the members of the Security Council reiterated their full support for the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Libya, Hanna Tetteh, including her mediation and good offices role to further an inclusive political process in Libya, and her road map announced on Aug.21, 2025.

They therefore urged all Libyan stakeholders to engage fully, seriously and without delay with the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Libya’s political road map.

In a statement, they further urged all Libyan stakeholders to demonstrate the necessary political will and compromise to advance a Libyan-led and Libyan-owned process, and refrain from taking any unilateral actions which could further entrench institutional divisions, undermine prospects for national reconciliation and risk worsening Libya’s financial and economic position.

The members of the Security Council noted the importance of progress towards the unification of all institutions, including military and security institutions, and underscored the importance of safeguarding the unity and independence of the judicial system.

The members of the Security Council called for the implementation of the Unified Development Programme and stressed the importance of establishing a unified budget to prevent further economic deterioration.

WAM