On Monday, the Italian Consulate General in Benghazi announced that it has begun granting tourist visas to Libyan citizens.
This came after Head of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Libyan Parliament, Yousef Al-Agouri met with Consul, Carlo Batori to discuss bilateral relations.
Al-Agouri praised Batori’s “great efforts, which contributed greatly to the reopening of the Italian Consulate in the city of Benghazi.”
He also hailed the cultural and scientific cooperation programs, and the hosting of Italian experts in various fields. The MP added that this has contributed to strengthening cooperation across all regions of Libya.
In April 2021, Italy reopened its consulate in Benghazi. It had closed in 2013, after gunmen attempted to attack the Consul on 12 January that year.
“We are reopening our consulate in Benghazi and we have already nominated Carlo Batori as Consul General, while we are also setting up an honorary consulate in Sebha,” Italian Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio told lawmakers.
“This is to enhance Libya’s newfound unity and to ensure the presence of our institutions in Cyrenaica and Fezzan,” Di Maio said. “Strengthening our network in Libya will be essential in order to reactivate all projects which were suspended due to the instability in the country, and to launch new ones,” he added.
“Italy’s Embassy in Tripoli was the only diplomatic mission that remained open throughout the decade-long conflict in Libya,” Di Maio noted. “We have also okayed the re-opening of Italy’s foreign trade agency’s office in Tripoli, and the Italian Cultural Institute,” Di Maio added.
