The Italian Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni, said that “the full and lasting stabilisation of Libya is a national security priority. From here we address the invitation to Libyan political actors to commit themselves to equip the country with solid and democratically legitimised institutions.”
During her speech at the conclusion of the eighth edition of the Rome Med – Mediterranean Dialogues conference, Meloni added that Italy is “strongly committed with this government to strengthening its role in the Mediterranean, in fact only by creating a space of stability and shared prosperity will we be able to face the epochal challenges we face.”
The Italian Prime Minister said, “it is necessary to make use of an extended meaning of security which also includes actions to safeguard the human, cultural, environmental, energy and food dimensions.”
Last month, the Italian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Antonio Tajani, called for working towards the stability of Libya, “before talking about the issue of confronting illegal immigration.”
Tajani criticized Europe’s handling of the Libyan crisis, “as it was too late and did not create a unified strategy, while Libya was dragged into chaos,” in an implicit reference to the role of former French President, Nicolas Sarkozy.
He suggested starting to invest in relations not only with the Libyan authorities but also with Sub-Saharan African authorities. “We must avoid neo-colonialism and build strong alliances, through which we create mixed companies to build infrastructure with our resources, in exchange for low-cost raw materials.”
This came in his interview with the Italian newspaper Libero Agency.
He pointed to the need to return to the approach taken by Silvio Berlusconi’s previous government, in managing the migration crisis. In line with the left’s vision adopted by former Interior Minister, Marco Minniti by concluding agreements with the migrant origin countries.
Tajani previously asked the European Union (EU) to provide $100 billion to Africa, to help it deal with migration. He called for an Italian role “decisive in this matter,” which would enhance its position in the region.