Some 53 Egyptian young men were returned to Cairo on Sunday from Libya after being arrested by Libyan authorities for attempting to illegally migrate to Europe through the Mediterranean, the Egyptian foreign ministry said in a statement.

According to the ministry, the Egyptian Embassy in Tripoli and the Egyptian Diplomatic Mission coordinated with Egyptian authorities to facilitate the return of the illegal migrants via a private aircraft.

The head of the Egyptian Diplomatic Mission in Libya, Tamer Mostafa, expressed his appreciation to the Libyan authorities for presenting all the needed facilities and arrangements to return the young men to Egypt, the foreign ministry added.

Despite the Egyptian government’s extensive efforts to prevent trespassing into Libya, the country is still frequently used as a transit point for migrants from Egypt and other nations seeking to reach European shores.

Egypt shares a more than 1,000-kilometre-long border with Libya.

Egypt and Libya agreed in April to resume flights between the two countries’ capitals, as Cairo seeks to restore normalcy in its relations with the neighbouring country, especially after the election of an executive authority to guide the country until legislative elections are held by the end of this year.