Italy is keeping a close eye on developments in Libya, foreign minister Enzo Moavero Milanesi said Tuesday amid fears the conflict-wracked North African country could slide into an all-out civil war and unleash a vast influx of refugees to Europe.
"We are watching Libya very closely - the fact there is a war on is extremely worrying due to its impact on the country's population and on issues that can affect us such as immigration," Moavero told a diplomacy forum in Rome.
No surge in Mediterranean boat crossings from Libya has taken place so far since the military escalation in Tripoli which began in early April, Moavero said.
"We have not registered an increase in refugee arrivals, although we continue to monitor events closely as they unfold," Moavero stated.
Italy still supports Libya's United Nations backed Government of National Accord led by premier Fayez al-Sarraj in the deadly conflict between eastern warlord Khalifa Haftar's forces and militias loyal to the GNA, said Moavero.
"We are keeping up inclusive dialogue with all sides, but it should be clear that the government which we and the international community recognise is that of Sarraj," he said.
Haftar is allied to a rival administration based in Libya's east.
Italy ruled Libya from 1911-1943 and has major energy interests the chaos-stricken country.
