Italian Defense Minister Lorenzo Guerrini commented on the European Union’s Operation IRINI in the Mediterranean sea. He described the operation as extremely important to address the current crisis in Libya, stressing the EU’s ability to help bring an end to the fighting.
During a visit to the headquarters of the mission in Rome, the Minister stated that “as the High Representative of the European Union Josep Borrell has consistently said, IRINI does not constitute a basic solution to the current crisis, but is able to cover a large part of it”.
Guerrini pointed out that since the beginning of the operation in May it has achieved excellent results. He thanked the commander of the operation, Admiral Fabio Agostini, for managing the mission, as well as thanking all personnel from EU contributing countries.
The Mission, in which more than 20 countries participate, is currently under Italian command.
“The IRINI operation contributes a path to address the crisis, because it follows the results of the Berlin Conference in its aims of bringing peace and stability to Libya.” Guerrini said.
Operation ‘IRINI’s stated aims are to support the implementation of the UN arms embargo on Libya by monitoring maritime movement through the use of naval and aerial assets.
The operation will additionally provide monitoring to prevent illicit oil exports and fight against human trafficking networks.