On Saturday, the Head of the Association of Italians Repatriated from Libya (AIRL), Francesca Prina Ricotti said that the association “serves as a bridge between Italy and Libya, and also constitutes an interlocutor capable of mediating between two different, yet close cultures.”
In an interview with the Italian news agency, Nova, Ricotti expressed cautious optimism on the issue of Muammar Gaddafi’s reparations.
“It is the latest act of AIRL, which asks to be able to close the dispute with the Italian government. We are talking about an indemnity relating to 1970, and in 2023 we are still talking about it,” she said.
“We count a lot on the government of Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni: from the opposition, the Brothers of Italy had presented, within the budget law for 2022, an amendment that remained at a standstill at the last minute, although reported by the government,” she added.
Ricotti called for a further allocation on the law 7/2009 to give justice and dignity to the Italians in Libya. They are hoping to find an agreement with the Ministry of Economy and Finance, on an allocation of €150-200 million euros in compensation for Italians repatriated from Libya.
“We want to offer ourselves as a hook and bridge between two cultures, strengthened by a shared culture. The ability to mediate and to know the customs, the language, and the places, even if many streets have changed names and many buildings are no longer there. We have always maintained an interest and love for Libya,” she stated.
“They (Libya) have had to fight for over ten years, and are now trying to rebuild stability. On this we would like to make all our knowledge available in terms of training, orientation, if there is a need, as already happens, for anyone coming to Italy from Libya,” Ricotti concluded.