Kamikawa, Libyan Official Agree to Strengthen Bilateral Ties

Jiji Press

17:20 JST, January 25, 2024

TOKYO (Jiji Press) — Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa and Abdullah Allafi, vice president of Libya’s Presidential Council, met in Tokyo on Wednesday and agreed to work to strengthen Japan-Libya relations, including economic cooperation.

The agreement came after Japan reopened its embassy in the North African country earlier this month. The embassy had been closed since 2014.

During their meeting, Kamikawa expressed Japan’s support for stability in Libya, and Allafi voiced hope for expanded cooperation with Japan. They also discussed the situations in Ukraine and the Middle East.

Libya has one of the largest oil reserves in Africa. Its economy was damaged by a civil war that began after the collapse of Muammar Gaddafi’s regime in 2011. A ceasefire agreement was reached in 2020.

“We see some recovery in the local security situation [in Libya],” a Japanese Foreign Ministry official said.