The Italian Ambassador in Tripoli, Giuseppe Perrone, and the defence attaché, Captain Patrizio Rapalino, delivered 5,000 health & hygiene and first-aid kits for migrants to the mayor of Zwara in order to meet the Municipality’s needs.
The material made available by the Italian Cooperation service was transported on the Italian Navy ship “Durand de La Penne” up to the outer limit of Libyan territorial waters, where it was transferred onto the Libyan Coast Guard cutter “Kifa”, which then transported it to the port of Tripoli.
The emblematic hand-over ceremony was held at the seat of the Italian diplomatic mission at the presence of a large number of representatives of Zwara’s municipal administration.
An equal number of kits were delivered to the Libyan Navy and Coast Guard.
In the last few days, Libyan authorities had specifically asked for a supply of these kits to give to the migrants who are intercepted at sea inside Libya’s SAR (search and rescue) area and then brought back to land.
“With this donation, the Italian Cooperation service has met the appeal launched by Libyan authorities; a gesture that confirms our Country’s humanitarian commitment at international level,” affirmed the Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Angelino Alfano. He added: “I would also like to thank the Minister of Defence, Roberta Pinotti, for the significant cooperation between the Ministry that she heads and the Foreign Ministry.”
