(Adnkronos) – Italy and Libya enjoy “exceptional” ties, Italy’s ambassador Gianluca Alberini and Libya’s presidency council head Mohammed al-Menfi agreed during talks in Tripoli on Monday that also looked at key current issues in the fragile, politically divided oil state.
“Ambassador Alberini was received by the President of the Presidential Council, Mohamed al-Menfi,” the embassy wrote on X.
“An important opportunity to affirm the exceptional level of relations between the two countries, and to discuss the most prominent current issues: the political process, the “Flintlock 2026″ exercise, and the unified budget,” the post continued.
Forces from Libya’s east and west-based aministrations are taking part in the ‘Flintlock’ special operations exercises, run by the United States Africa Command (AFRICOM) which kicked off on 14 April in the city of Sirte.
Italy played a significant role in planning and carrying out Flintlock in Libya, which marked a “historic milestone” and supported “the continued development of a unified Libyan military,” AFRICOM said in a statement.
Earlier in April, Libya’s UN recognised government of national unity in Tripoli and the rival administration in Benghazi agreed to the first unified budget in over a decade to decide how to spend the billions of dollars of oil revenues the country generates each year.
Italy has major investments in Libya – a former colony – chiefly in the energy sector but also infrastructure and engineering, and remains Libya’s top trading partner.
