Italy has confirmed that it is heading to conclude its first deals to obtain more Libyan gas, as well as from other countries, as part of the efforts to reduce dependence on energy imports from Russia.

The Italian Minister for Ecological Transition, Roberto Cingolani, said at a conference that his country is in talks to conclude the first agreements in this context in the upcoming weeks, expecting Rome to obtain an additional 10 billion cubic meters of gas through pipelines with Algeria, Libya and Azerbaijan this year, and this number will exceed 20 billion cubic meters by 2024.

Libya is the eighth Arab country in terms of natural gas reserves, and its geographical location is considered as an important future player in the gas markets.