Italian Interior Minister, Luciana Lamorgese said the situation in Libya remains dangerous, and it is not yet clear whether the Libyans will be able to hold elections by the end of December.
Lamorgese said, in an interview with the Italian newspaper La Stampa, that immigration is a complex problem, “there is no invasion, but the numbers are increasing.” She explained that Libya and Tunisia, where the majority of migrants department from, are experiencing a crisis.
“Tunisia no longer has a government or parliament, the state is on its knees and risks not paying salaries, in addition to the bad conditions in Libya,” she noted.
Lamorgese pointed out that the Italian government held meetings at the Cabinet and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs levels with several Libyan ministers who made specific requests, “Prime Minister Mario Draghi, when he went to Brussels, requested a European commitment to fund third countries.”
“We will not solve the problem of irregular migration in the Mediterranean by placing naval forces at sea…. the matter is different through the Balkan route.”