On Wednesday, Italian Foreign Minister, Luigi Di Maio revealed that a visit to Rome by Libyan Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Al-Dbaiba is in the pipeline. Dbaiba is set to meet with a forum of Italian business leaders to “boost our chances of economic cooperation.”
Di Maio, who was speaking before the Italian Parliament, said “we are now facing a new era of relations between Italy and Libya.”
“In order to enhance Libya’s newfound unity, it is in Italy’s interests to ensure our institutional presence in Cyrenaica and Fezzan. As well as our Embassy in Tripoli — the only European diplomatic mission to remain open even during Libya’s most difficult moments — we are reactivating the Consulate General of Italy in Benghazi, where we have already appointed Carlo Batori as general consul,” he stated.
The FM added that Italy will also open an honorary consulate in the southwestern city of Sebha, as well as an Italian Foreign Trade commission office and an Italian Cultural Institute in Tripoli.
Di Maio has visited Libya three times since the country’s new provisional government was installed in early March.