Migration on Agenda in surprise visit by EU Council President Charles Michel to Tripoli
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European Council President Charles Michel offered support to Libya Sunday on a visit to Tripoli, as the North African nation seeks to end a decade of chaos following a NATO-backed 2011 revolt.
“We will work with the new government and support it,” Michel said after meeting with interim Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah, who was selected in a UN-sponsored process to lead Libya to December 24 elections. Libya’s parliament confirmed Dbeibah’s new transitional government last month. “The European Union actively supports the process of national reconciliation,” Michel said. “Economic recovery, elections, the fight against illegal immigration… are areas in which the EU can help.”
The country is also a major route for migrants trying to reach Europe across the Mediterranean, and traffickers have thrived in the lawlessness that followed Kadhafi’s overthrow. Michel said migration was a “major theme” in the relationship between Libya and the EU.
I came to Tripoli in a moment of hope and challenges.
The EU stands by the Libyan people and its new leadership.
