Italian Defense Minister Lorenzo Guerini discussed with the new US Secretary of Defense, Lloyd Austin, in a phone call, the major issues of international security in Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya and tensions in the Mediterranean.
According to “La Repubblica” newspaper, the conversation touched on the White House’s readiness to conduct reviews of the decisions taken by the “Trump” administration in foreign policy, regarding the most sensitive time in the fate of Tripoli, after the Turkish steps destabilized the balance and increased tension.
With regard to the American interest in the Libyan file; the newspaper pointed out that the most accurate detail came between Italian and American officials that the “Obama” administration used to regard the Rome government as the main interlocutor for achieving stability in Libya, then this interest slowly faded away during the Trump era, noting that there are some indications that Biden is about to change his administration’s position regarding the Libyan file to stop the Turkish expansion in the west of the country and the Russian presence in the east with the help of Italian policy; to facilitate dialogue between Libyans and fully support the work of the United Nations.
The phone call also dealt with Italian attempts to mediate tensions between “Athens and Ankara”, through a line followed by the European Union, after the maritime agreement signed between “Erdogan and Al-Sarraj” disrupted the balance and increased tension in the region.
