The Libyan commander of the self-styled army in eastern Libya Khalifa Haftar hosted the Italian Foreign Minister Enzo Milanesi on Monday in Rajma; eastern Benghazi.

The two men had a long and cordial conversation which relaunched close relations with Italy, in a climate of consolidated trust, according to the Italian foreign ministry.

"The current political path must be completed, in particular through free and fair elections, held under adequate security conditions," Milanesi added, implying the pressure of Paris on Libya for the elections this December.

"Haftar added that he was ready to contribute to actively support security, stabilisation and dialogue in the country, for the good of all Libyans," the ministry said, without elaborating.

Meanwhile, Haftar's command media office said the two men talked about the relations and interests of the two countries.

It added that they also talked about the mechanisms needed to secure Libyan elections so they can be transparent and credible.

"They talked about fighting terrorism and illegal immigration and the Italian minister vowed to support any proposal by the UN that stabilizes Libya." The media office added.

Meanwhile, Haftar called Italy names in his meeting with tribesmen last week in eastern Libya.

He criticized Italy saying “there are people who highly praise it despite their knowledge that Italy is an enemy to us.”

“Worshipping Italy and implementing their demands is a real problem,” Haftar remarked.