16 January – 22 January: Italian Deputy Prime Minister says France has no interest in stabilising Libya

Jan 22, 2019 | International actors

On 18 January, German Chancellor Angela Merkel stated that Germany’s policy approach to Libya follows a similar style as the Italian government. Merkel made the statement following a meeting with the Italian President Sergio Mattarella in Berlin, with the Chancellor expressing Germany’s preparedness to contribute to a second round of peace talks that would follow up on the outcome of the Palermo Conference.

On 22 January, Italian Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini said that France has no interest in stabilising the situation in Libya, ‘probably because it has oil interests that are opposed to those of Italy.’ He backed up comments made by his fellow Deputy Prime Minister Luigi Di Maio the day before, accusing France of looking to extract wealth from Africa rather than helping countries develop their own economies, singling out Libya in particular.