1. Ambassador for Overseas Koreans and Consular Affairs Han Dong-man met with Deputy Prime Minister Ahmed Omar Maiteeq, Foreign Minister Mohamed Taha Siala and Chairman Abdelmajeed Hamza of the state-run General Electricity Company (GECOL) of Libya in the country’s capital of Tripoli on October 18. The Ambassador was leading the Republic of Korea’s interagency delegation to Libya to look into the country’s public security situation and seek relevant necessary measures.

- The visit took place to follow up on the two visits to Libya by joint private-public delegations in August to seek electric cooperation and Deputy Prime Minister Maiteeq’s visit to the ROK in early September, as well as to look into the possibility of resuming the construction of a power plant as continuously requested by the Libyan government.

※ The interagency delegation was composed of officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, and the National Police Agency.

2. Ambassador Han took note of the steady advancement of the friendly and cooperative relations between the ROK and Libya since the establishment of diplomatic ties in 1980; voiced hope that Korean enterprises will take an active part in Libya’s reconstruction work and thereby help step up ROK-Libya cooperation across the board; and asked the Libyan government to pay attention to the safety of Korean residents and entrepreneurs in Libya.

3. Deputy Prime Minister Maiteeq extended appreciation to the ROK, calling it a friend that had rendered assistance to Libya at times of need. Stressing that the situation in Libya is improving remarkably and that the Libyan government is doing its utmost to better ensure public security, the Deputy Prime Minister expressed hope that Korean power generation companies will rejoin and contribute to Libya’s reconstruction efforts, with those in housing construction and other areas following suit.

4. Foreign Minister Siala voiced strong hope that Korean companies will return to Libya as soon as possible to help solve electricity shortages, the most urgent issue in terms of the reconstruction of Libya. With regard to the North Korean nuclear issue, he expressed support for the ROK government’s efforts to resolve it.

5. GECOL Chairman Hamza expressed ardent hope that Korean enterprises will return to Libya as soon as possible and alleviate the plight electricity shortages have brought to the Libyans. He added that to that end, close consultations are under way with relevant Korean companies and that the assistance will be rendered to Korean entrepreneurs to the extent possible to ensure their safety.

6. On October 19, the ROK delegation, accompanied by the GECOL Chairman and other related officials, visited a power plant construction site in Janzour near Tripoli. During the visit, the delegation checked what needs to be done for the return of Korean companies, and once again asked the Chairman and other Libyan officials that the Libyan government pay keen attention to and help with the efforts to ensure the safety of the Korean entrepreneurs in Libya.


* unofficial translation