On Saturday, Italy’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Antonio Tajani, announced his invitation to the United Nations (UN) Special Envoy to Libya, Abdoulaye Bathily, to visit Rome, according to the Italian Nova news agency.
Tajani stressed that the UN initiatives aimed at stabilisation, with an agreement between the parties in Libya, are on the right track.
“We support international initiatives to reach elections and prevent irregular migration flows from Libya to Italy and Europe,” Tajani said in the statement during a joint press conference with his Turkish counterpart, Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu, in Ankara on Friday.
The Foreign Minister stressed that Italy and Turkey have a common vision of Libya, adding, “we want to achieve stability, and we will work together because we are convinced of the need to hold elections,” noting that stability also means limiting irregular migration flows.
Last month, Tajani noted that “Libya is a country with very strategic importance for Italy.” He affirmed that Italy shares the hope that elections will be held soon, with the UN.
In an interview with the Italian newspaper La Stampa, he revealed his desire to visit Libya, provided there is a clear path leading to elections.
“We’ll get there (Libya) sooner or later, but first we need a clear plan leading to elections. Libya’s stability is essential also for the migration issue,” the Italian Foreign Minister stated.
Tajani explained that the presence of a unified government in Libya is necessary to curb the fight against “illegal” immigration, in addition to stopping abuses.
In November, he expressed his concern about the situation in Libya. At the opening of the 15th Conference of Italian Ambassadors in Rome, Tajani said that “there is a great concern and we are working intensively on the diplomatic level on the Libyan issue.”
“We are working with all countries in North Africa and sub-Saharan Africa because we consider them a priority to solve the migration issue, and Italy has close relations with the Mediterranean, not only geographically but also historically,” he said.
