Tripoli: The House of Representatives’ Foreign Affairs Committee has highlighted the urgent need to reform the status of diplomatic missions abroad in an effort to reduce public spending. This initiative was emphasized by Youssef Al-Aqouri, the head of the committee, who underscored the necessity of reviewing the number of diplomatic missions and the staff employed therein, as well as evaluating their competence.
According to Libyan News Agency, Al-Aqouri pointed out that the foreign affairs sector’s expenditures have ballooned, with mechanisms for staffing diplomatic missions abroad lacking proper diplomatic controls. This was reiterated by Abdullah Blihaq, the official spokesman for the House of Representatives, on his official Facebook page. Al-Aqouri also noted that the establishment of consulates is occurring outside the bounds of diplomatic law, which requires coordination with the Presidency of the House of Representatives in line with Law No. 2 of 2001 concerning diplomatic work.
The committee head has called for a reassessment of the numerous consulates established in recent years, advocating for their closure due to the pressing economic crises and the imperative to reduce public spending. Al-Aqouri emphasized the need to review many diplomatic missions based on the significance of relations with the international communities they engage with. This includes a critical evaluation of the hundreds of Libyan and foreign personnel employed in these missions.
Al-Aqouri also urged stakeholders to collaborate and prioritize the public interest during these challenging times, advocating for immediate and substantial measures to rectify the situation, which has been exacerbated by the lack of parliamentary oversight and the breach of established legal and administrative norms.
He further highlighted the efforts made by the Foreign Affairs Committee in recent years to address the issues surrounding missions abroad. However, these efforts have been hampered by a lack of cooperation from executive bodies, attributed to political divisions and prior governments’ failures to recognize the powers of the Parliamentary Foreign Affairs Committee as dictated by the appropriate legal frameworks.