Prime minister picks Libya for first official visit abroad
Italy s prime minister paid a visit to Libya to discuss immigration and economic issues with Libya s government of national unity, which was formed last year.
„We need to open the Libyan market to Italian investors and companies as soon as possible, so that we can rebuild our economy,” Libyan PM Abdulhamid Mohamed Dbeibeh said.
Parties signed an agreement to reconstruct Tripoli airport and revived the project of building a super-highway along the Mediterranean coastline, stretching from Tunisia to Egypt, as part of the Italy-Libya Friendship Pact signed by former Italian PM Silvio Berlusconi and Lybia s former President Muammar Gaddafi, in 2008.
Another key topic of the negotiations was stopping migration at Libya s southern border and taking strong action against human trafficking. The government s goal is to encourage the protection of Libya s southern border, thereby halting migration through Libya, Rai news writes.
After the meeting, the Italian prime minister told journalists that his visit „indicated the importance of the historic relationship between the two countries.”
„It is a unique moment to rebuild an ancient friendship,” PM Draghi said, welcoming the unified government led by Prime Minister Dbeibeh, which is expected to stay in power until the general elections in December.
„The security of the country [Libya] is a pre-requisite of future cooperation,” Mr Draghi warned, calling on all parties to respect the ceasefire reached last year. The two leaders discussed joint projects, including the development of civilian infrastructure, energy supply and healthcare, and agreed to jointly take up the fight against human trafficking in the Mediterranean.
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