25 September – 1 October: France and Italy co-chair ministerial meeting on Libya at UNGA

Oct 2, 2019 | International actors

On 26 September, France and Italy co-chaired a ministerial meeting on Libya on the sidelines of UN General Assembly (UNGA). The meeting was attended by representatives from the US, the UK, the UAE, Germany, Russia, Turkey, Egypt, China, the UN, the EU, the Arab League and the African Union. In a statement, France said that this meeting helped strengthen the international consensus on ending the crisis in Libya and reiterated that France was calling for a return to the UN political process “on the basis of the parameters agreed to by the Libyans at the Paris and Palermo conferences and at the Abu Dhabi meeting.” In its own statement on the meeting, Italy expressed “great concern” over the deterioration in the security and humanitarian situation in Libya and stressed the need to pursue an inclusive dialogue and ensure the fair use and distribution of Libya’s resources. Luigi Di Maio, Italy’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, also reaffirmed Italy’s “staunch support” for the efforts of the UN-led process and UN Special Envoy to Libya, Ghassan Salame.