Libyan Interior Minister Met Commissioner Malmström on 15 Feb.

According to the EU Observer, Libya’s Interior Minister met last week with Commissioner Cecilia Malmström: “It emerged on Monday  [21 Feb.] that the Libyan interior minister, Abdel Fatah Younes, visited EU home affairs commissioner [Cecilia Malmström] last Tuesday (15 February) to discuss ‘how to put into practice’ an agreement reached in October on immigration co-operation.  The commission last year offered the country some €50 million euros to assist in efforts to prevent irregular migrants from reaching the Mediterranean’s northern shores. At the meeting, it is thought that a figure of 2 million refugees was brandished by Mr Younes.”

It is unclear from the article whether Libya used this meeting with Malmström to communicate a threat to halt cooperation on irregular immigration similar to the one that was communicated to the Hungarian Ambassador to Libya on 17 February or whether this was an otherwise routine meeting in furtherance of the EU-Libya framework agreement.

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