The Minister for Home Affairs, Glenn Bedingfield, met with the Prime Minister of Libya, Abdul Hamid Ddeibah, and his Libyan counterpart Emad Al-Trabelsi on Wednesday to discuss topics of common interest for the two countries.

This marked the second day of Minister Bedingfield's visit to Libya, where the Ministry for Home Affairs stated "positive meetings" continued with the aim of strengthening bilateral relations and cooperation between Malta and Libya - particularly in the areas of security and irregular immigration.

Among the main topics discussed the Libyan Prime Minister was the challenge of irregular immigration and the need for cooperation between Malta and Libya to improve in order to better address it. The national representatives discussed how to better handle this immigration channel before persons make the dangerous journey, oftentimes through the Mediterranean Sea, to reach European and Maltese shores.

It was emphasised that this challenge requires coordinated work between transit countries and European countries, as well as more effective action against human trafficking networks.

Libya's demands to the EU in the field of immigration were mentioned during these discussions. According to the Maltese Ministry for Home Affairs, Malta believes that these demands should be listened to and discussed seriously in order to find a common solution that recognises Libya's role whilst strengthening cooperation between the north and south sides of the Mediterranean.

"Libya has an important strategic role for Malta and for all of Europe. Therefore, I believe that we must continue to build on the existing cooperation, listen to each other's concerns and work together to address irregular immigration before it reaches European shores," Minister Bedingfield said.

Minister Bedingfield said that no single country can address the challenge of irregular immigration alone and that rather, it requires continuous dialogue, shared responsibility, and concrete action.

"It is through serious dialogue and concrete cooperation that we can achieve results that are beneficial to both countries," he said.

Minister Bedingfield reiterated Malta's commitment to continue improving its relations with Libya and other countries in the region, while promoting cooperation "that leads to concrete results" in the fields of security, human trafficking, and in addressing irregular immigration.