Italian Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi has played down Tuesday’s diplomatic incident in Benghazi, where a European Union delegation, including Italian officials, was denied a scheduled meeting with representatives from eastern Libya.
Speaking to Italian broadcaster Rai on Wednesday, Piantedosi clarified that the meeting was cancelled due to resentment on the Libyan side over the overzealousness of some of the EU representatives.
He added that the earlier leg of the visit in Tripoli had been “very insightful,” stressing that the unexpected cancellation would not derail Rome’s ongoing cooperation with Libya.
“We will keep moving forward in the fight against human traffickers,” Piantedosi said. “There is a structured relationship with Libya, and one incident will not undermine our longstanding cooperation.”
The visit was part of broader European efforts to manage irregular migration across the Mediterranean. In Tripoli, Piantedosi had announced that Italy would provide four new rubber patrol boats to Libya’s coastguard, underlining Italy’s support for Libyan-led efforts to curb migrant departures.
He also praised Libya’s recent steps in repatriating migrants, particularly amid a surge in arrivals of Bangladeshi and Eritrean nationals to Europe via Libya in 2025.
Meanwhile, the Libyan government appointed by the House of Representatives and supported by Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar declined to host the EU delegation in Benghazi.
