The Minister of State for Communication and Political Affairs in the Government of National Unity, Walid Al-Lafi, stated that the Mediterranean Migration Forum will be held on July 17 in the capital, Tripoli, with the participation of heads of state and ministers of the interior.
Al-Lafi explained during a press conference with Interior Minister Imad Trabelsi that the forum will continue for one day and aims to come up with practical solutions to the immigration problem.
Al-Lafi stressed that the forum represents a strategic vision to address the migration issue in cooperation with European and African countries.
The countries of Italy, Malta, Niger, Chad, Spain, Greece, the Czech Republic, Sudan, Algeria, Tunisia, and the Netherlands, in addition to the League of Arab States, the African Union, and the European Union, will participate in the forum.
For his part, Interior Minister Imad Trabelsi pointed out that the migration crisis has worsened in the country over the past ten years and reached its peak this year.
He reported that the number of irregular migrants in Libya reached 2.5 million, noting that Libya has transformed from a transit country to a country of stability.
Trabelsi expressed his categorical rejection of the idea of resettling migrants, considering that the immigration issue is a matter of national security for Libya.
He stressed that the state would not take any action in the immigration file unless it was in Libya’s interest and called on the “army forces” in the east to cooperate in securing the southern border.
Trabelsi indicated that the ministry will work to issue official residency for workers in Libya in the next stage, considering that the time has come to solve the immigrant problem.
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