Andrea Cozzolino, head of the European Parliament delegation for relations with the Maghreb countries, held a virtual meeting with Ahmed Maiteeq, Deputy Prime Minister of the Libyan Government of National Accord (GNA).
The two sides agreed on the need to continue political dialogue in order to reach a solution to the Libyan crisis.
Maiteeq expressed the Libyan people’s satisfaction with “the end of the war and the lifting of the embargo on oil production,” according to NOVA Agency.
Maiteeq also stressed that “Libya expects a lot from Europe,” while Cozzolino assured that “the European Union can extend its hand to help Libyans to reach a political solution and a better economic situation.”
The Libyan official touched upon his mediation role that led to the lifting of the oil crude blockade, explaining that “from 2011 until today, we have not produced as many barrels as in recent weeks.”
The two sides have also discussed the issue of Italian fishermen detained in Benghazi.
On 1 September, the Libyan Navy arrested 18 Italian fishermen for illegally entering Libyan waters. In 2015, four young Libyans in Sicily were sentenced by the magistrates of Catania to 30 years in prison. They were accused of organising a crossing from Libya, in which 49 migrants died. Libya is seeking a prisoner swap with the Italian government.
However, the Italian Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio denied that his country’s government had been “blackmailed” over the case of detained fishermen in Benghazi.