Libyan Undersecretary of Defence, Uhida Najem, has called on the Italian government to support Libya after the latter’s assumption of the 5 + 5 Defence Initiative Presidency for 2019, expressing Libya's desire to greater cooperation and joint training in this area.

This came during his meeting with the Italian ambassador to Libya, Giuseppe Buccino and Italian military attaché, Patricio Rabalino, at the Defence Ministry's HQ in Tripoli on Sunday.

For his part, the Italian ambassador emphasized the need to take advantage of Libya's presidency of the 5 + 5 Defence Initiative this year, by increasing joint action, especially in the maritime field.

"The Mediterranean basin binds us all together, and we want it to be a sustainable peace and security region," Italian ambassador said.