NATO needs to focus on southern flank to counter Russia, Italy says

Reuters: ROME (Reuters) - NATO needs a stronger focus on the south and Africa, Italy's prime minister told a news conference on Thursday, saying Russia might boost its presence in eastern Libya after the collapse of its allied regime in Syria.

The ousting of Bashar al-Assad in Syria, where the Kremlin operates an airbase and a naval facility, has created uncertainty over Russian influence in the Middle East and Mediterranean.

Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said she had raised the issue of Russia's presence in Africa with her allies over the last two years and urged NATO to boost its presence on the continent.

"We are very focused on our eastern flank, not realising that all the flanks of this alliance are potentially exposed and particularly the southern," she said.

The Kremlin said last month that it was in discussions with the new rulers of Syria over its bases and was not withdrawing from there, but Italy fears it might seek to reinforce its presence elsewhere.

"After the fall of the Assad regime it is reasonable to believe that Russia is looking for other (sea) outlets and it is reasonable to believe that one of these could be Cyrenaica," Meloni told reporters.

Cyrenaica, in eastern Libya, is under the control of commander Khalifa Haftar's Libyan National Army (LNA) who over the years developed bonds with the Kremlin.