Atwasat

Tajani says Italy at the forefront of international efforts to stabilize Libya, blames Wagner Group for migration surge




Alwasat - Cairo Sat 25 Mar 2023, 09:25 AM
alwasat radio

Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said his country is at the forefront of international efforts to stabilize Libya on Friday.

"We are working to reach an agreement that will make Libya a stable country, to get to elections, a new constitution," Tajani Rai's Radio Anch'io program.

He added that moves to stabilize Libya are being hampered by the presence of Russian mercenaries from the Wagner Group, which Italy's government alleges are behind a surge in migrant boat crossings.

"As in all of Africa the Wagner Group is a worry. It fuels the flight of people and illegal immigration," Tajani stated.

Defense minister Guido Crosetto claimed earlier this month that an "exponential increase" in boat migrant crossings from coastal areas of Africa was "part of a clear strategy that Wagner is implementing...a way to hit the most exposed countries above all Italy, and their geostrategic choices".

Crosetto's comments were echoed by Tajani during a visit to Israel last week that Rome had concerns "because many migrants arrive from areas controlled by the Wagner Group".

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