Italy and Libya sign an agreement for 8 billion dollars for the production of natural gas

The Italian Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni, landed this Saturday in Tripoli accompanied by the head of Foreign Affairs, Antonio Tajani, and Interior Minister, Matteo Piantedosi, with migration and gas in the Mediterranean as the main issues to be discussed with the Libyan Unity Government National (GUN).

This visit to Libya comes after negotiations between the Italian company Eni and the Libyan National Oil Corporation (NOC) for a gas exploration and production agreement in the Mediterranean, Farhat Bengdara, president, told Libyan television this week. of the NOC.

The project of 8,000 million dollars (7,356 million euros), would also guarantee an additional supply of gas to the European State in the coming years.

This is the second trip that Meloni has made in less than a week to North Africa, after passing through Algeria last Sunday, where he signed an agreement for the construction of a second 284-kilometre gas pipeline which will link the Algerian port of Koudiet Draouche with the southern island of Sardinia.

“Plan Mattei” to turn Italy into an energy bridge between the Maghreb and Europe

The new government of Meloni is working to develop the well-known “Mattei Plan”, with a view to Africa, aimed at turning Italy into a bridge for energy relations between the Maghreb and Europe.

Italy has replaced Russia with Algeria as the main gas supplier and seeks to guarantee greater energy supplies in North Africa.

The blockade of migration through the Central Mediterranean route, whose main departure points are Tunisia and Libya, will also be a priority issue between Meloni and the Tripoli authorities.

During a visit to Tunisia last week, Tajani defended “root intervention” to address the causes of migration in the Mediterranean and measures to “counteract irregular departures” such as encouraging “a greater number of repatriations.”

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