Sisi made the remarks in a phone call with Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte, during which they discussed various regional issues including the situation in Libya, said Egyptian presidential spokesman Bassam Rady in a statement.

"President Sisi asserted Egypt's fixed position that supports stability and security in Libya and the activation of the will of the Libyan people," Rady said.

Sisi also expressed Egypt's support for "the efforts of the Libyan National Army (LNA) in fighting terrorism and obliterating terrorist organizations that pose a threat not only to Libya but also to regional security and the security of the Mediterranean region."

For his part, Conte underlined Italy's keenness on reaching a settlement of the current crisis in Libya and restoring stability in Libya as well as the strength and efficiency of its institutions.

Sisi and Conte "agreed on intensifying joint efforts in this regard," Rady added.

Since the ouster and killing of former leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, Libya has been locked in a civil war that escalated in 2014, splitting power between two rival governments: the UN-backed Government of National Accord (GNA) based in the capital Tripoli and another in the northeastern city of Tobruk which is allied with the self-proclaimed LNA led by Khalifa Haftar.

Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, France and Russia support Haftar's LNA, while the GNA is backed by Egypt's regional rivals, Turkey and Qatar, in addition to Italy.

Haftar's forces have been launching a military offensive in an attempt to take over Tripoli since April.