The Head of Italy’s Senate’s Permanent Commission for Foreign Affairs and Defence, Stefania Craxi, said that the intra-European conflict has opened the doors of Libya to third parties, who have supplanted the European and Western presence.
Craxi added, “it is a fact of reality with which to reckon and from which to start in order to fine-tune a new strategy which, treasuring the mistakes made, moves the steps towards a concrete relaunch of our presence in Libya, which many on the international scene hope and they would warmly welcome.”
She noted that a revision of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), whose legal bases are found in the Italian-Libyan friendship treaty, is then a tool to relaunch our role in the country. It is addressing not only the migrant dossier but a whole series of issues, including energy issues. “Let’s think of the recent agreement with Ankara on the matter – on which to build our new leadership throughout Libya, not just in Tripoli.”
“It would be a first step in being able to play a positive role in the intra-Libyan dialogue, functional to the stabilisation of the country. We must prevent the country from being divided into three parts: those who think that this could be a solution are wrong, even in the international community, since we would have only three unstable and conflicting realities within them.”
The enlarged Mediterranean is considered the area of priority strategic interest for Italy. However, the region is often hostage to serious humanitarian crises, widespread violence and climate change.
Last week, the Italian Special Envoy for Libya, Nicola Orlando, stated that Rome “strongly” supports the mediation of the United Nations (UN) Envoy to Libya, Abdoulaye Bathily.
After his meeting with the Senegalese diplomat at the UN, Orlando said that Italy strongly supports the mediation efforts, in favour of “a Libyan path towards elections that lead to a consensual and inclusive government, and a fair use of national resources.”
“I confirmed Italy’s respectful and convincing support for his mediation,” Orlando said.
“I commended his consultations and comprehensive efforts to finalise a constitutional basis as a precondition for elections,” he added. He also stressed the need for “institutions and their leaders to put the democratic aspirations of the people above their own.”