At the ceremony held at Al-Khald Palace — first reported by Agenzia Nova — Italian Deputy Foreign Minister Giorgio Silli joined representatives of Libya’s Government of National Unity (GNU) and the Italian company Todini Costruzioni Generali, which has been awarded the contract.
What’s new: The 4.3 sub-section, stretching about 160 kilometers, connects Al-Aziziya to Ras Jedir, on the Tunisian border.
The big picture: It is part of the fourth section of Libya’s major coastal corridor (395 km in total), which also includes the Misurata–Al Khoms (4.1) and Al Khoms–Zuwara (4.2) segments, still under negotiation.
- The entire highway — 1,750 km from Emsaad (Egyptian border) to Ras Jedir (Tunisian border) — represents the largest bilateral infrastructure project ever launched between Italy and Libya.
Why it matters: The project stems from the 2008 Italy–Libya Treaty of Friendship, Partnership and Cooperation, which committed Rome to invest $5 billion in Libyan infrastructure.
- After years of suspension, today’s signing formally revives infrastructure cooperation between the two countries — a symbol of renewed political and economic engagement.
- The Libyan government has directly financed compensation for land expropriations, signaling a domestic push for national recovery.
Between the lines: Silli’s visit to Tripoli fits into Italy’s broader strategy to support Libya’s stabilization and to revitalize the 2008 Treaty, now viewed as a key diplomatic tool for Mediterranean dialogue.
- Libyan sources described the signing as “a crucial step toward modernizing the national road network and strengthening economic partnership with Italy.”
What’s next: The launch of works on sub-section 4.3 marks the operational start of the western phase of the Highway of Peace.
- Rome and Tripoli aim to finalize negotiations on the remaining segments (4.1 and 4.2) by 2026, completing a strategic corridor linking the Mediterranean from east to west.
