On 25 June, Government of National Unity (GNU) Ministry of Defence Undersecretary for Regions and Military Affairs Lieutenant General Abdussalam Zoubi and his high-level security delegation were received in Washington, D.C. at the State Department by U.S. Senior Advisor for Arab and African Affairs Massad Boulos, National Security Council Senior Director for the Middle East and Africa Wayne Wall and Deputy Commander of U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) Lieutenant General John W. Brennan. According to Boulos, they discussed continued efforts to strengthen Libya’s security institutions, building on the recent progress toward unifying the country’s military, economic, and political institutions.
Boulos stressed in a statement that ‘continued cooperation on security sector integration will help create the conditions for unified governance, lasting stability, and successful national elections.’ He emphasized that ‘the United States remains committed to supporting an inclusive, Libyan-led unification effort that compliments the roadmap of SRSG Hanna Tetteh and UNSMIL.’
According to the Libyan delegation, the meeting focused on strengthening the strategic military and security partnership between Libya and the United States. The two sides discussed frameworks for, and concrete steps toward, unifying Libya’s military institutions, expanding bilateral cooperation, and enhancing training and capacity-building programs. They also agreed to deepen coordination on counterterrorism, border security, and transnational threats to bolster domestic stability and regional security.
Both sides emphasized the importance of sustained coordination and consultation between their respective military and security institutions. Within the framework of the U.S.–Libya strategic partnership, this ongoing dialogue aims to foster professional, unified defense forces, thereby enhancing Libya’s capacity to safeguard its sovereignty and maintain long-term stability.
On 26 June, Zoubi met Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau. Landau underscored Libya’s strategic importance to regional security and the importance of close cooperation between the U.S. and Libya on mutual areas of concern, such as combatting illegal migration and terrorism, which he described as among the region’s greatest challenges.