Libya, Malta renew deal to combat irregular migration

Libya and Malta yesterday signed a renewal of their bilateral memorandum of understanding in combating irregular migration, Anadolu Agency reported.

Libyan Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh met with his Maltese counterpart, Robert Abela, and the delegation in Tripoli.

They discussed “following up on cooperation in combating illegal migration, exchanging prisoners between the two countries, cooperating in counter-terrorism, and addressing energy and investment issues,” the Libyan government said in a statement.

Both parties agreed to “expedite the convening of the 28th session of the Libyan-Maltese Joint Committee, chaired by the foreign ministers of both countries, to activate memoranda of understanding and cooperation agreements across various fields, and to establish the appropriate legal framework for them.”

Following the meeting, both parties signed the renewal of the memorandum of understanding regarding combating illegal migration.

The first agreement had been signed on 1 June 2020 and stipulated the establishment of coordination centres in Tripoli and Valletta to enhance efforts to address irregular migration across the Mediterranean Sea.

It also included a provision for Malta to propose increased financial support from the European Union to bolster Libya’s border security, including intercepting and monitoring human trafficking activities in the Mediterranean search and rescue area.

Irregular migration operations are active in several areas of north-western Libya, where groups exploit the country’s political division and security chaos to smuggle migrants and asylum seekers to Europe.

Europe’s southern states of Greece, Italy and Malta have repeatedly complained about being forced to accommodate migrants arriving from Libya.

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