Italy's foreign minister Luigi Di Maio has appointed seasoned diplomat and academic Pasquale Ferrara as his special envoy for Libya, according to a foreign ministry statement.
Pasquale "will represent Italy and guarantee its full participation in all multilateral initiatives to support the Libyan political process, in line with our longstanding commitment to peace and to the country's stability," the statement said.
Ferrara, who was formerly Italy's envoy to Algeria, will be tasked with developing relations with "the principal local and international actors in the country," as part of his brief, the statement went on.
Ferrara will also undertake "strategic thinking" in Italy and with experts internationally on the prospects for stabilising war-ravaged Libya "also within the North African context", said the statement.
