On 1 February, the new commander of EUNAVFOR Operation Irini, RADM Marco Casapieri, had his first visit to Tripoli during which he met with the acting Chief of the General Staff of the Libyan Army, Lieutenant General Salaheddin al-Namroush. According to EU Ambassador to Libya Nicola Orlando, discussions focused on strengthening cooperation across areas of mutual interest, with a view to further enhancing the EU-Libya partnership and contributing to security and stability in our shared Mediterranean Sea. Casapieri also had ‘a series of highly substantive meetings’ with the commanders of the Libyan Navy and the Libyan Coastguard and visited the EU-funded Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre in Tripoli.
Casapieri reaffirmed Operation IRINI’s commitment to strengthening cooperation with Libya’s maritime authorities nationwide, with a view to delivering concrete, mutually beneficial results, including enhanced support through training, capacity building, and targeted projects aimed at jointly reinforcing Libyan maritime capabilities within the framework of the EU-Libya partnership.