Italy wants to boost its "privileged relationship" with Libya, foreign minister Luigi Di Maio said on Thursday after talks with his Libyan counterpart Najla al-Mangoush.
"Italy would like to consolidate and re-launch its privileged partnership with Libya," Di Maio said in live-streamed remarks after his talks with Mangoush.
"This can happen with the consolidation of the process political and with the resulting strengthening of cooperation in areas of mutual interest," Di Maio added.
Areas where Italy and Libya can boost cooperation include the coastal highway project, civil aviation, economic and cultural development cooperation, especially in health sector, Di Maio underlined.
"The management of migration and the control of Libya's borders remain priorities for Italy - at bilateral and European level," he added.
Turning to war-ravaged Libya's economy, Di Maio said he told Mangush that reforms must be identified and implemented to meet the needs of the population. "Water and electricity are a priority," he said.
"The approval of a unified national budget also appears urgent and this should have a positive impact also on the country's energy production, which has now returned to pre-blockade levels," Di Maio stated.
Di Maio was referring to a crippling 10-month blockade of Libya's oil facilities by forces loyal to powerful eastern military commander Khalifa Haftar, which ended in October last year when Libya's warring sides agree on a ceasefire.
"We therefore invite the House of Representatives to do its bit to get the budget approved," he said.
Di Maio also called on technicians assigned to various cooperation projects between Italy and Libya to agree on "a series of realistic but ambitious deadlines to get concrete results together".
At a political level, regular meetings will keep taking place between Italy and Libya, Di Maio concluded.
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