NATIONAL SECURITY ISSUES
- Libyan Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh told the leaders of Europe and Southern Mediterranean in Rome that his government rejects any proposal to settle migrants in Libya.
- An Italian fishing vessel that came under fire from the Libyan coast guard on Tuesday morning for allegedly fishing inside Libya’s exclusive maritime zone is navigating back towards Italy, Italian news agency Ansa report. Citing unnamed sources at the Italian foreign ministry, Ansa reported that an Italian naval asset intervened with a helicopter in support of the boat after it was “attacked in international waters” by “a Libyan patrol boat” that “fired several machine-gun shots at it”, according to a statement from the president of the Federation of Sicilian Shipowners, Fabio Micalizzi.
NATIONAL POLITICS AND SOCIAL ISSUES
- Pakistan is in contact with Pakistani-origin detainees in Libya and was interacting with the United Nations for their medical check-ups and provision of medicines, the country’s Foreign Office spokeswoman told reporters. In response to the media queries regarding Pakistani nationals detained in Benghazi, Libya, spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said: “On the instructions of the foreign minister, our Charge d’affaires in Tripoli, Ashiq Ali, visited the detention centre in Benghazi and met with the detainees of Pakistani origin. Food and basic necessities have been provided to them.”
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Mediterranean and Middle East countries will meet in Rome on Sunday to boost efforts to stem illegal migration flows, with Italy saying the aim is to help countries in Africa in order to reduce the impetus for migrants to reach Europe. The meeting will focus on building partnership for projects in sectors including agriculture, infrastructure and health, an Italian government statement said.
- Rome – Italy’s Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani has announced a new package of initiatives to counter human trafficking in Libya and Niger. The Foreign Ministry said in a statement that Tajani pledged 4.8 million euros to help victims of human trafficking in the two countries during a visit to Rome by the president of Niger, Mohamed Bazoum.
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Libya’s Tripoli-based Interior Ministry announced Monday, July 17, that two of its naval vessels and their crews arrived in Malta to participate in the Dolphin 1 joint marine exercises. The exercises will take place this week in the territorial waters of Malta, in the presence of the interior ministers of the two countries.
INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
- Chairman of the Libyan High Council of State, Khaled al-Mishri, held talks on Tuesday, July 18, with the Italian ambassador in Tripoli, Gianluca Alberini. During the talks, the two discussed bilateral relations and ways to strengthen economic cooperation, to the benefit of common interests, according to a statement by the council.
- The Director of the Department of Administrative and Financial Affairs at the Libyan Foreign Ministry, Rashid Abu Ghafah, held talks on Sunday with an Omani diplomatic delegation, led byHilal bin Abdullah Al-Sanani, Oman’s Ambassador to Tunisia. According to a statement by the Libyan foreign ministry, Al-Sanani’s visit aimed at preparing the necessary arrangements to reopen the embassy of Oman in the Libyan capital Tripoli.
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Mohamed Al-Menfi, Chairman of Libya’s Presidential Council, held talks with Kenyan President William Ruto on Sunday, July 116. According to a statement by the council, the two discussed coordinating positions “within the framework of their membership in the 10th Committee of the African Union on the reform of the UN Security Council”. They also held consultation on the conflict in Sudan, and coordinating efforts with regional and international powers to end the fighting.
