The government welcomed the election of a new unified interim Libyan executive on Friday by 75 UN-appointed delegates in Geneva, calling the outcome of the vote "an important step" towards stabilising Italy's war-wracked former colony.
War-ravaged Libya, jaied Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny, ties with Russia, Nato and terrorism were at the centre of phone talks on Thursday between Italy's foreign secretary Luigi Di Maio and his US secretary of state Antony Blinken, the foreign ministry said in a statement.
Italian and Libyan mayors have shared knowledge and experience of local government in a pioneering gathering aimed at fostering cooperation between local councils in the two countries.
Libya's political and social forces will gather in Switzerland in early February to vote on candidates for a three-member unified government and for premier, the United Nations mission to Libya said in a statement on Thursday.
Italy, the US, France, Germany, the United Kingdom on Thursday welcomed the vote by Libyan political and social forces in favour of a procedure to pick a unified interim government and urged Libya to swiftly appoint an "inclusive" new executive to lead the country to December elections.
Italy on Tuesday welcomed the vote by representatives of Libya's political factions and civil society backing a mechanism to appoint a unified interim executive to guide the war-torn country to elections on 24 December.
War-torn Libya's political forces have voted in favour of a procedure to pick a transitional government that will steer the country to elections slated for December, the United Nations support mission said in a statement on Tuesday.
Italy's foreign minister Luigi Di Maio on Monday praised the United Nations Security Council's "important" confirmation of veteran Slovak diplomat Jan Kubis as special envoy to Libya, nearly a year after his predecessor stepped down.
Italy on Monday lauded the accord reached at the weekend between Libya's rival political forces on a proposed mechanism to choose a new unified executive that will lead the war-ravaged country to elections slated for 24 December.
Libya's prime minister Fayez al-Sarraj has created a new security agency headed by the powerful pro-government Abu Salim Central Security Forces militia chief Abdul Ghani al-Kikli, the Libyan Observer tweeted on Monday.
