President Moon Jae-in will meet with Chairman of the Presidential Council and Prime Minister of the Government of National Accord (GNA) of Libya Fayez Mustafa Al-Sarraj, who is scheduled to make an official visit to Korea September 5-7. Their summit will be held on September 5 at Cheong Wa Dae.

The collapse of the Gaddafi regime during the 2011 Arab Spring unleashed persistent turmoil in Libya that lasted until December 2015 when the GNA headed by Chairman Al-Sarraj was formed. Currently, efforts are underway to establish a single government through a constitutional revision and elections mediated by the international community, including the United Nations.

Libya holds the world's 10th largest reserves of crude oil, 48.4 billion barrels, and covers a vast amount of land, roughly eight times the size of the Korean Peninsula. Also, as it sits at a geographically advantageous location linking Africa with the Middle East, the country's growth potential is assessed to be substantial should the domestic situation stabilize in the future. 

During the meeting, President Moon will emphasize that the top priority for the Korean Government is public safety. The President will request continued efforts by the visiting Chairman and the Libyan Government to secure the early release of the Korean national kidnapped by armed insurgents in the southwestern part of Libya in early July.

President Moon will also note Chairman Al-Sarraj’s efforts as leader of the GNA to integrate and rebuild Libya. Moreover, the President is expected to deliver a message containing his hopes for promoting substantive economic cooperation, including Korean companies’ participation in projects to reconstruct Libya going forward. 

Chairman Al-Sarraj’s trip will be the first official visit to Korea by a head of state of Libya, and the bilateral summit is also a historic first. The anticipated one-on-one talks are expected to mark a significant turning point in the development of bilateral relations.