Italian FM: ‘Morocco is a Key Interlocutor on Regional Issues, Libya’

Rabat – Italy considers Morocco a “strategic partner” and “key interlocutor on regional issues, including Libya,” tweeted Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Luigi Di Maio.

Di Maio held on Friday a phone call with his Moroccan counterpart, Nasser Bourita. The two diplomats reviewed regional security issues and committed to consolidating bilateral relations in “all areas.”

The phone call came two days after the launch of the UN-facilitated Joint Committee of the east-based House of Representatives (HoR) and the Tripoli-based High Council of State (HCS) in Cairo.

In a press statement released on April 13, the UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) said the meeting will set the constitutional framework for “fair, credible, transparent, and inclusive elections.”

So far 2.8 million Libyan citizens have registered to vote during awaited elections, noted the Special Advisor to the Secretary-General on Libya, Stephanie Williams, in an address to Libyan delegates from both chambers.

The need for an election in Libya remains a core subject of discussion in a country that has been torn apart by a decade of civil war and political chaos. Over the past years, Libya has been a safe haven for human and drug traffickers, and sheltered various forms of human rights violations.

During a late March meeting with her Moroccan counterpart, Nasser Bourita, the Libyan Minister of Foreign Affairs, Najla El Mangoush, made it clear that “all the parties [of the Libyan conflict] can participate in organizing transparent elections.”

She further welcomed Moroccan support for the democratic transition in Libya, recalling the central role Rabat has played in pushing for dialogue between rival parties.

As a host of peace talks between rival Libyan factions, Morocco has called for general elections and an internal, peaceful, and lasting resolution to the conflict.

Moroccan diplomatic stance has attracted regional and international support and recognition, making the country a reliable partner in the Meditteranean.

In August 2020, Di Maio shared his country’s “appreciation” of Moroccan efforts in solving the Libyan crisis.

The geographic and historical proximity between Italy and Libya has been the focus of the current Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi. Appointed in February 2021, Draghi’s first official visit as PM was to Tripoli on April 6.

The Italian PM then called for the rebuilding of “an ancient friendship” between the two countries, with the aim of regaining or further consolidating the Italian position in Libya and the Mediterranean.

31 years of diplomatic relations

Last year, Morocco and Italy celebrated 30 years of diplomatic relations, reinvigorating their interest in reinforcing relations in sectors such as trade, renewable energy, technology, education, and culture.

In 2020, Italian exports to Morocco reached $2.04 billion, including products such as refined petroleum ($333 million) and plastic pipes ($34.5 million), as well as services related to transportation ($110 million) and travel ($58.3 million).

Moroccan exports to Italy during the same period amounted to $1.6 billion, including cars ($524 million) and insulated wires ($300 million).