Italy and Libya will ink cooperation deals on higher education training, health, scientific research, sport and youth policies during a visit to Tripoli on Wednesday by premier Giorgia Meloni and members of her cabinet.
The cooperation accords will be signed after a meeting between Meloni and her Libyan counterpart Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh and bilateral talks between Italy's and Libya's health, higher education and sports ministers.
The visit is aimed at taking forward the government's 'Mattei' plan to stabilise and develop African countries though 'non-predatory' partnerships and make Italy an energy 'hub' distributing gas from North Africa and the Mediterranean to the rest of Europe.
Meloni was also set to hold talks on Tuesday with Libya's Council President Yunis Ahmed Al-Menfi and was later due to travel to the port city of Benghazi for talks with eastern Libyan military leader Khalifa Haftar.
In her talks with key political actors, Meloni is seeking to underline Italy's support for presidential and parliamentary polls conducted under the aegis of the United Nations, and to strengthen dialogue between Libya and the European Union, according to sources close to the visit.