In contrast to Malta, Turkey and France, UK exports to Libya in the first quarter of 2012 were sharply lower than during the same period in 2011.

The Thai Minister of Labour, Phadermchai Sasomsub, has said that Thailand would prefer to receive crude oil as payment for any Thai workers sent for employment in Libya.

The main border crossing between Libya and Tunisia was partially closed on the Libyan side from the night of 22 May, according to Tunisian sources.

A new official border crossing in the remote south-east of Libya, close to the Egyptian oasis town of Siwa, has reportedly been approved by both countries.

Recent statistics from the French government show that exports to Libya recorded strong annual growth in the first quarter of 2012, but are unlikely to reach 2010 levels.

Citing concerns over security and smuggling, Egypt has said it will block all containers bound for Libya unless they are destined for the Libyan government.

Malta exported some €24.1m ($31.2m) of goods and services to Libya in the first quarter of 2012, more than double the level in 2011.

Recent figures report that Turkish exports to Libya were valued at $526m in the first quarter of 2012, roughly double their 2011 level and also higher than the same period in 2010.

Sudan’s Minister of Labour, Farah Mustafa Abdullah, visited Tripoli on 23 April where he held talks with Prime Minister Abdulrahim al-Keib and Minister of Labour Mustafa Alrujbani.

At the Global Investment Conference in London on 22 February, Rajab Layas, an official from the Libyan Investment Authority (LIA), announced the sovereign wealth fund’s intention to invest £5bn in the UK economy.

Conditions for citizens entering Libya from neighbouring Tunisia, Egypt and Algeria have been tightened, according to the Agenzia Giornalistica Italia (AGI), an Italian news agency. 

Members of the Tripoli Chamber of Commerce recorded LD1.3m ($1m) worth of trade in November 2010, Al Shams reported.

Following a series of meetings in Tripoli, Turkish and Libyan officials have pledged to increase agricultural, commercial and humanitarian cooperation, according to Turkish news outlet World Bulletin and a number of Libyan news sources.

Libyan and US trade officials have launched talks on TIFA, a trade monitoring and expansion framework,  according to the Office of the US Trade Representative.

The General Authority for Investment and Ownership hosted the Investment and Development Exhibition in Tripoli on 6 December, Al Shams reported.