Prime Ministers of Greece and Italy on official visit to Libya
Libian Transitional Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah (R) receives Italian Council President Mario Draghi in Tripoli on April 6, 2021. Mahmud Turkia AFP
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After the trip of several Interior and Foreign Ministers as well as the head of the European Council last week to Tripoli, the Italian and Greek Prime Ministers paid an official visit to Libya on Tuesday, April 6.
They discussed economic and security issues as well as their bilateral cooperation with the new Libyan executive.
This double visit is further proof of Europe's keen interest in the political upturn in this country.
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Since Tripoli, his first visit abroad, Italian head of government Mario Draghi said his visit was "
proof of the importance of historic relations
" between Libya and Italy.
The opportunity also to "
rebuild an old friendship and a closeness that has never known a break,
" he said.
Reactivating Italian investments in Libya as well as the 2017 agreement on the interception of migrants by the Libyan Coast Guard were discussed.
Mario Draghi has also indicated his satisfaction with the “
rescue
” operations carried out off Libya.
Italy, a former colonial power, is for Libya a leading trade partner, particularly in the field of hydrocarbons, with a significant presence of the Italian giant ENI.
As for Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, his trip to the Libyan capital aims, according to his government's spokesman, to "
normalize and restore
" diplomatic
relations
.
The maritime delimitation
signed in 2019 between Turkey and Libya
, which angered Greece and the European Union, was at the heart of its discussions.
Abdel Hamid Dbeibah however clings to this economic agreement which, according to him, "
preserves the rights of Libya
" on hydrocarbons in the eastern Mediterranean.
The Libyan authorities announced on Monday the creation of a national reconciliation commission, which will be responsible for restoring social peace under the Geneva political agreement.
This announcement was welcomed by the UN while no member has yet been appointed.
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