The EU Naval Operation Sophia started this week the training of the Libyan Navy Coast Guard and Libyan Navy and the implementation of the UN arms embargo on the high seas off the coast of Libya.
An EU statement Thursday noted that the naval operation aimed at disrupting the business model of human smugglers and traffickers in the Southern Central Mediterranean.
Security, fight against terrorism and the situation in the Arab world will be on the agenda of the 13th meeting, Friday in Marseille, of the Foreign Affairs Minister of 5+5 Dialogue on the western Mediterranean.
This meeting of the western Mediterranean’s countries will bring together, in addition to Algeria, Spain, France, Italy, Malta, Portugal, Libya, Morocco, Mauritania and Tunisia.
Algerian Minister for Maghreb Affairs, the African Union and the Arab League, Abdelkader Messahel and visiting Spanish Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, Ignacio Ybanez, vowed on Monday to boost bilateral cooperation in the political, security and economic fields.
The US President, Barak Obama underscored that the USA is making efforts to strengthen consensus among Libyan parties. He also stressed the need to control territorial waters and borders to undermine illegal immigration.
At a joint press conference with the Italian prime Minister Tuesday in Washington, he said; We are focused on enhancing government agreements, and Secretary of State Kerry and others work with his EU colleagues to support the government in Libya, to address problems between the various factions in Libya, and to build their capacities to control their borders and territorial waters, and that if there is no partner it would be a problem.