Malta and Turkey held talks in Tripoli on Thursday with the head of Libya's UN-recognised government on a political solution to end the country's conflict.

Foreign Minister Evarist Bartolo and his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu met Fayez al-Sarraj, from the Government of National Accord (GNA).

In a statement, the Maltese government said it was agreed that Maltese and Turkish companies should return to Libya and flights between the three countries should resume.

It was also agreed that illegal migration imposed a threat not just to the EU but also to Libya, which needed to strengthen its southern borders and combat human trafficking and smuggling.

Malta and Turkey expressed their readiness to support the Government of National Accord in this regard by providing the necessary needs and equipment to upgrade the capabilities of the Libyan Coast Guard.

They also agreed on the need for the EU’s participation in tackling the root causes of illegal migration by helping the development of source countries and to set up a joint working team to coordinate efforts and cooperation to turn agreed matters into concrete and practical projects.

 

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