Italy's ambassador to Libya, Giuseppe Buccino, held talks in Tripoli on Wednesday on the state of the war-torn country's security, politics and economy with Khalid Al-Mishri, who heads its top advisory body, the Libyan Observer daily reported, citing the body's media office.
Mishri, who head the Libyan High Council of State, told Buccino the Libyan Army forces had made strides on the military frontline against the "criminal gangs" of eastern warlord Khalifa Haftar, according to the report.
Haftar's forces are retreating in western Libya after suffering massive military losses and the internationally recognised unity government in Tripoli will continue military operations until it extends state sovereignty over the entire country, Mishri was cited as telling Buccino.
Buccino and Mishri also discussed healthcare in both Libya and Italy as well as measures needed to counter the Coronavirus pandemic, the report said.
Italy, Libya's former colonial power, maintains extensive economic interests in the oil-rich country, which has been in violent state of flux since the Nato-backed 2011 ouster of late dictator Muammar Gaddafi.