KUWAIT: This handout photo released by the Foreign Ministry on Tuesday shows Kuwait's Foreign Minister Sheikh Dr Ahmad Nasser Al-Mohammad Al-Sabah attending a press conference with his Libyan counterpart Dr Najla Al-Mangoush during his visit to Libya. - KUNA

TUNIS: Kuwait's Foreign Minister and Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs assured Libya of his country's firm support as the Arab North African nation heads towards elections in December, in line with a UN-backed deal after a decade of political turmoil and economic upheaval.

In a press conference alongside his Libyan counterpart Najla El-Mangoush on Tuesday, Sheikh Dr Ahmad Nasser Al-Sabah conveyed to her the best wishes of His Highness the Amir Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, nearly two months after the country's unity government garnered parliamentary backing.

The Kuwaiti foreign minister wished the Chairman of Libya's Presidential Council Mohamed Al-Menfi success as the former diplomat from Benghazi looks to get the war-torn nation's institutions on the same page whilst steering the country in a path towards free and fair elections slated for December 24.

Holding talks with officials from across Libya's political spectrum, including Prime Minister Abdulhamid Dbeibeh, all of which centered around the "mutual desire" to enhance bilateral ties, he said the talks also included current happenings around the region. Some 11 "vital" bilateral deals had been signed in the past to buttress cooperation in a variety of domains, the Kuwaiti foreign minister said, expecting "more agreements to follow suit soon to meet the collective aspirations of the peoples of the two friendly countries."

He went on to urge the international community to stand alongside Libya in this critical juncture, which is crucial to preserve the country's sovereignty and security and invariably help usher in prosperity and development, as embedded in relevant UN Security Council resolutions."

Libya's top diplomat thanked Kuwait for the unflinching support it has offered Tripoli, saying the return of a joint committee for higher-level talks, in abeyance since 2010, would herald in a new era of bilateral relations. During his visit to Libya Tuesday, Sheikh Dr Ahmad handed Menfi a written message from His Highness the Amir, related to means of bolstering the solid ties between the two brotherly countries. - KUNA