Libyan National Security Adviser, Ibrahim Bushnaf, expressed his concerns about the danger of Libya turning into a base for the permanent settlement of migrants and asylum seekers.
He added that this risked happening should the government yield to pressure from the international community, to label migrants as refugees.
In a statement, Bushnaf said that the decisions of the Berlin II Conference regarding the closure of immigration detention centers indicated that Libya may become a country for asylum seekers.
He revealed that he noticed, during his tenure as the Minister of Interior of the eastern-based Interim government, that foreign officials insisted on replacing the word immigrants with the word refugees, when talking about illegal immigration.
He underscored the need for Libya to reject such an approach completely. He stressed that it must remain a corridor country, and continue to abide by the relevant international agreements.