On 28 November, the Government of National Unity (GNU) Minister of Interior Emad Trabelsi participated in the International Conference on a Global Alliance to Counter Migrant Smuggling, which was held at the European Commission headquarters in Brussels. The conference was convened by the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, and Commissioner for Home Affairs, Ylva Johansson.
Trabelsi called on the international community, and especially on the EU, to provide logistical and material support to the Libyan state so that it can control and protect its territory and maritime borders. Trabelsi presented the Libyan MoI’s efforts to combat illegal migration and human traffickers. Trabelsi called on the EU Commission to be an essential and direct partner for Libya in combating illegal immigration and in fighting human trafficking gangs, instead of turning to NGOs and using them as intermediaries.
On the sidelines of the conference, Trabelsi met with Ylva Johansson. During this meeting, he stressed again that Libya was not prepared to bear the burden of migration alone and called for more financial and logistical support. The Libyan MoI intends to host an international conference on combating illegal migration in January in Tripoli. Representatives of the countries affected by this phenomenon and relevant organizations will be invited. Allegedly, Ylva Johansson has already accepted the invitation.