Italy on Friday hailed as "crucial" a permanent ceasefire deal across Libya agreed between the two sides in military talks that was announced by the United Nations mission to the war-ravaged country.
"The agreement for a permanent and lasting ceasefire, accompanied by major security measures, starting with the restoration of internal air and land connections in Libya and the implementation of confidence building measures, is a development of crucial importance for the stability of Libya," Italy's foreign ministry said in a statement.
"Italy - which has always worked determinedly for this goal - encourages all Libyan parties to concretely implement the signed accords, continuing to show wisdom in the best interests of the country," the statement continued.
The agreement, concluded in Geneva after UN-mediated talks between military representatives of the internationally recognised Government of National Accord (GNA) in Tripoli and Khalifa Haftar’s eastern-based Libyan National Army militia, will be followed by political talks in Tunisia next month.
The Libyan Political Dialogue Forum will be "a potentially decisive step towards a political solution to the Libyan crisis," said the statement.
"In this regard, Italy confirms its active and convinced support for the delicate exercise promoted by UNSMIL," the statement concluded.
Italy's former colony has been wracked by deadly conflict since the Nato-led 2011 ouster of late dictator Muammar Gaddafi. Since 2014, Libya has had rival administrations in Tripoli and the east, each backed by a myriad of armed groups vying for control of the oil-rich country.
