The re-opening of its consulate in Benghazi shows Italy's strong commitment to supporting the unified interim government across the whole of Libya, foreign minister Luigi Di Maio said on Thursday.
"The imminent re-opening of our consulate in Benghazi demonstrates that giving our backing to the national unity government is a priority for Italy," Di Maio said. "It's an important decision," he added.
Di Maio was addressing a live-streamed media conference after talks at the foreign ministry with Libya's foreign minister Najla Mohamed al-Mangoush.
In a further sign of its intense engagement with war-ravaged Libya, Italy has kept open its embassy in Tripoli "even at the most critical moments" of the turmoil after the 2011 ouster of late dictator Muammar Gaddafi, he said.
"The strengthening of Italy's institutional presence in Libya confirms its commitment to its territorial integrity," Di Maio underlined.
The government also decided to open an honorary consulate in the city of Sebha in the southwest Fezzan region in "a further sign of the attention Italy is paying to the whole of Libya," he said.
