The Maltese Minister of Foreign Affairs reaffirms the cooperation with Libya in matters of immigration
In an interview with the Malta Independent newspaper, the Maltese Foreign Affairs Minister Ian Borg said that he does not think that Malta’s position is far from those who say that there are unsafe aspects about Libya for immigration, and added that the closest capital to them, geographically, is Tripoli. , more than Rome.
“We were born here, Malta. We are close to Libya and one tries to have the best relationship with their neighbours.” Borg added.
He said that their government would do well to continue strengthening its relationship with those who can contribute to making Libya stable.
“There is no political stability in Libya. In fact there is a transitional government. But is it wise to create another transitional government? We want to push this current government that was trusted by the international community to go for an election that was meant to have been made more than a year ago. That’s what we’re insisting on, but in the meantime we can’t help but cooperate.” Borg explained.
“We are not suggesting that another government come in and lead Libya. We want the Libyans to agree on a Constitution, agree on the political project they want to move forward on, and after they do that, go to an election.” He explained further.
Borg said that the problem in Libya is that it is a huge country and has a wealth of resources and so there are countries and businesses that have an interest in what happens in Libya.
“The Libyans respect us not only because we are their neighbors, but because they know that we are not the type to tell them what to do. We do not interfere in their democratic process, who they give contracts for oil or for construction. ” He said, adding that Malta is working with the UN Secretary General and also with the UN Special Representative for Libya Abdoulaye Bathily to encourage the Libyans to hold elections.