The risk of terrorist attacks can only be avoided if war-wracked Libya is stabilised, Italy's foreign minister Luigi Di Maio stated on Monday, urging European countries to act in unison.
"Making Libya safe means safeguarding our coasts from the arrival of possible terrorists," Di Maio wrote on Facebook after a European Union ministerial summit in Brussels.
"Without doubt, our united and synergic action can be strong and have a decisive effect," Di Maio's post went on.
"We can truly act to end the hostilities."
European Union countries agreed on Monday set up a new Mediterranean mission to enforce the United Nations arms embargo on Libya and help achieve a permanent ceasefire between its warring factions, Di Maio told reporters in Brussels after the summit.
Libya was an Italian colony from 1911-1943 and Italy has extensive energy interests in the oil-rich country from which many migrant smuggling boats set sail for Europe.
