On 25 November, a meeting of the ministers of interior (MoI) of Italy, Libya, and Tunisia place in Rome on the topic of combating illegal migration, including the return of migrants to their home countries. At the opening of the meeting, Italian MoI Matteo Piantedosi emphasized the strong friendship and common Mediterranean affiliation that binds the three countries. He thanked his counterparts for their ‘unceasing commitment to the prevention of irregular departures.’
According to Piantedosi, the meeting should be the starting point for a structured dialogue. He noted that managing the challenges of transnational scope, including migration, is of crucial importance for the stability of the Mediterranean region, stressing that migration is an emergency that affects not only Libya, Tunisia, and Italy, but the entire European Union. He said that the main objective remains to target traffickers through joint efforts and the strengthening of the investigative exchange of information on migration flows. In addition, it is necessary to facilitate and increase assisted voluntary repatriations from Libya and Tunisia to the countries of origin, through the establishment of a joint control room for the monitoring of the respective activities.
Libyan MoI Emad Trabelsi called for more support for the Libyan Anti-illegal Immigration Agency, the Border Guard and the Coastal Security Administration, particularly in the areas of training and logistics.