Italy's populist premier Giuseppe Conte will on Saturday meet Russia's president Vladimir Putin for "concrete" talks on Libya, he told reporters in Beijing during a summit on China's new Silk Road project.
"We exchanged a few friendly words, during the family photo. We will have more concrete talks tomorrow," Conte said on the sidelines of the Belt and Road initiative forum, which is being attended by 37 world leaders through Saturday.
Conte earlier reiterated Italy's position that there can be no military solution to the eight-year conflict in turmoil-wracked Libya, where rival forces are vying for control of the oil-rich country - a former Italian colony.
Along with Egypt and the United Arab Emirates, Russia supports eastern warlord Khalifa Haftar, whose Libyan National Army militia on 4 April began a military offensive to seize control of the capital, Tripoli.
At least 278 people have been killed and 1,332 injured in this month's military escalation in Tripoli while over 30,000 people have fled their homes, according to the United Nations.
The deadly clashes pit forces allied with the UN-backed government against Haftar's militia.
