TRIPOLI – “It was a warm and rich in content”, says the Prime Minister Mario Draghi expressing the scope of his first official extra-European visit as premier at the end of a closed-door meeting that lasted more than an hour with the head of the Libyan union government Abdul Hamid Mohammed Dbeibah. At 12, Draghi left the presidential palace to head to his second appointment of this visit to the new Libya which is trying to be reborn after years of war, divisions and a struggle between gangs that has exhausted the people by enriching only the traffickers.
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After moving to the Prince’s palace, the premier meets the President of the Presidential Council Mohammad Younes Menfi and the vice presidents Abdullah al Lafi e Musa al Kuni, representing the three regions of the country (Tripolitania, Fezzan and Cyrenaica) and then closing the mission with the greeting “to the only embassy that has remained open in all these years of conflict and danger, and we must give credit to the courage of the ambassador and of all our diplomatic representation “, acknowledged Draghi himself in the closing press conference at the meeting with Dbeibah. Who, in turn, expressed “all my thanks and my consideration for the seriousness with which you expressed your interest in us” by choosing Libya as a stop “at the beginning of Draghi’s mandate”: ” start as soon as possible of the work of the Joint Economic Commission, your support in this country is very necessary, especially on the health level in which we suffer “.
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The Italian premier immediately underlined the importance of the mission in Libya: “My first visit after being appointed prime minister is the demonstration of the importance of the historical link between the two countries”. “I want to underline – continued Draghi – that it is a unique moment for Libya, the national unity government recognized and legitimized by Parliament is proceeding with national reconciliation. It is a unique moment to rebuild what was the ancient friendship and closeness that has never known pauses “.
The terrain is therefore finally favorable, but it is necessary “to move quickly and decisively, and the prerequisite is that the ceasefire continues and is strictly observed. The security of the sites is essential to proceed with cooperation”, said Draghi, recalling that he had received “important reassurances” during a meeting in which “cooperation in the energy and infrastructural, health and cultural fields” was announced, “announcing” a new impulse to the Italian Institute of Foreign Culture with scholarships for Libyan students and with willingness to restore the exchange to the levels of five or eight years ago “. Indeed, “we also want to overcome this level by making Italy a guide for Libya’s development projects”.
But a mention of the issues could not be missing, that of migration control and management in which the relationship with Italy has given mixed results in terms of results and largely unsatisfactory in terms of ethics and human rights. “Even in the migratory field – said Draghi – I expressed satisfaction with what Libya is doing for rescues but the problem is not only political but also humanitarian: Italy is one of the few countries that keeps humanitarian cordons active, the problem it also exists on the southern borders of Libya and the EU has been entrusted with the task of helping the Libyan government in that too “.
Full speed ahead on all the chapters in which Italy and Libya are contiguous and possibly complementary, therefore. “There is a desire to start, we have also put back in the field the commissions for the recovery of historical credits, there is a desire to do and start again quickly”, says Draghi. A line perfectly shared also by Prime Minister Dbeibah: “There are many issues of common interest between the two countries – he said at the end of the meeting – and I think the most important is the reactivation of the 2016 agreement in all its aspects” . Among the first objectives “the construction of the Libyan international coastal highway, the strengthening of the economic exchange between two countries and the reopening of the airspace with the reactivation of customs agreements and facilitated procedures for visas for students, business trips and sick people”.
Doors open for “the increase in collaboration that we envisage in the electricity and energy sectors, already foreseen in the friendship agreement, for which we have already had contacts with Eni: it is a very important collaboration. Libya hopes to count on Italy and to resolve all outstanding problems between the two countries to move towards development for both “. As for migration, Dbeibah also dedicated a specific point to the theme: “Libya and Italy face a common challenge, illegal immigration is a problem that does not only concern Libya, which is a transit country, and not just Italy: it is a problem of Europe. Terrorism and human trafficking are common troubles for all of us, and we must find peaceful solutions to solve them “.
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