Italian, Turkish and Libyan leaders meet to address migration flows to Europe

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan hosted Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Libya’s Prime Minister Abdul-Hamid Dbeibah in Istanbul on Friday for a summit centred on addressing migration, enhancing cooperation and supporting Libya’s political stability.

A statement issued by Meloni's office following the closed-door session said the three leaders discussed strengthening cooperation in the Mediterranean region, starting with the management of migration flows.

Meloni praised the "excellent results achieved" through collaboration with Turkey on migration control, saying that the lessons learned from working with Ankara should be used to support the Libyan Government of National Unity's efforts on migration, according to a statement by her office.

Erdoğan said that "long-term and sustainable" solutions were needed to eliminate the root cause of migration, according to a statement from his office.

Libya is a major transit point for migrants fleeing war and poverty in Africa and the Middle East and hoping to make it to Europe.

Drowning incidents near the country's coast have been common. In December, at least 61 migrants, including women and children, drowned off the town of Zuwara on Libya's western coast.

Greece recently announced plans to send warships to international waters in the region following a surge in crossings from Libya to the southern Greek island of Crete, a more perilous route than the more frequently used passage between Turkey and nearby Greek islands.

In 2023, hundreds died when the fishing trawler Adriana, carrying migrants from Libya to Italy, sank in waters off Greece.

The United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR) said that in 2021, 32,400 refugees and migrants had made the crossing from Libya to Europe, more than twice as many as in 2020.

In April, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen proposed to increase staffing for Frontex, the EU’s external border and coastguard agency, by 30,000, a number that could provide a significant boost in its mission to secure Europe's external borders.

Giorgia Meloni reaffirmed Italy's commitment "to Libya’s stability, unity, and independence," and its support for a Libyan-led, United Nations-facilitated political process leading to elections.

The Turkish presidential statement said the three leaders would reconvene to evaluate decisions taken, following lower-level technical meetings.

Oil-rich Libya plunged into chaos after a NATO-backed uprising toppled and killed longtime dictator Muammar Gaddafi in 2011.

In the disarray that followed, the country split into rival administrations in the east and west, each backed by rogue militias and foreign governments.

Turkey has been allied with the Tripoli-based government in the west, but has recently taken steps to improve ties with the eastern-based government as well.

In 2019, Turkey reached an agreement with the Tripoli-based government which delineated maritime boundaries between Libya and Turkey, angering Greece and Cyprus which say the agreement infringes on their rights.