Italian Prime Minister Giorgio Meloni visited Libya to discuss bilateral cooperation

Italian Prime Minister Giorgio Meloni began his visit on Tuesday with a focus on bilateral cooperation in Libya.

Accompanied by a ministerial delegation, the head of the Italian government spoke shortly after her arrival with Tripoli-based Libyan Prime Minister Abdelhamid Dbeibah, according to official sources.

As part of this trip, the ministers of the Italian delegation will sign “declarations of intent” with their Libyan colleagues on initiatives for cooperation in health, education, research, youth and sports, following a press release from the Italian side.

These conventions fall within the framework of the “Matei Plan”, named after Enrico Mattei, the founder of the Italian public energy company Eni, who during the 1950s advocated a cooperative relationship with African countries, supporting them in the development of their natural resources. , according to the same press release.

This is Giorgio Meloni’s second visit to Libya as Italian Prime Minister. The first was held at the end of January 2023. On that occasion, the president of the Italian council concluded a major gas agreement with this North African country, which has the largest hydrocarbon reserves in Africa.