Italy's foreign ministry on Thursday hailed an announcement by Libyan authorities that they would restore visa issuing procedures for Italian military personnel deployed to the city of Misrata, calling the move "a positive development".
"The foreign ministry welcomes the decision of the Libyan authorities to reactivate the procedures for issuing visas to Italian military personnel engaged in Misrata as part of the Bilateral Assistance and Support Mission in Libya (MIASIT)," the ministry said in a statement.
"This is a positive development that will allow the mission to return to normal operations," the statement went on.
The announcement follows "unceasing" dialogue between the foreign ministry. and the Italian embassy with authorities in Tripoli, in coordination with Italy's defence ministry, the statement noted.
"This result, for which I also thank (defence) minister (Lorenzo) Guerini, is an important sign of collaboration from Libyan authorities, which is part of broader, more strategic bilateral cooperation between Italy and Libya," said foreign minister Luigi Di Maio.
