This new round of dialogue comes in the wake of the previous meetings held by the two parties in September, October and November in Bouznika and Tangier, which led to global agreements on the criteria and mechanisms for holding key positions, provided for in article 15 of the Libyan Political Agreement concluded in December 2015 in Skhirat.

In the final statement which crowned the two days of consultations held in November in Tangiers, the two parties had highlighted the commitment to "Libyan ownership of the political process" and called to "work in accordance with the mechanisms stipulated in the Libyan Political Agreement and the resolutions of the Security Council."

The document had also stressed the need to intensify direct meetings as an efficient and transparent tool to address issues that hinder the unification of state institutions, end division and put an end to foreign interference.