The Brazil Africa Institute's (IBRAF) Head, Joao Bosco Monte, said Libyan authorities told him they wanted to resume talks and restore ties with Brazil.
Brazil’s Bosco Monte visited Libya last week and was welcomed by authorities and ministers based in Tripoli to promote the Brazil Africa Forum the institution will hold in Sao Paulo from October 31 to November 01, 2023.
Exports from Brazil to Libya spiked from USD 35.1 million in 2001 to USD 456 million in 2010, shrinking to USD 141.4 million in 2016, and returning to higher levels last year, at USD 320 million, he said, reiterating that Brazil’s embassy in Tripoli was transferred to Tunis, Tunisia, in 2012, for security reasons.
He said that he saw a city of Tripoli that’s very different from what the press shows, adding that Brazil and other countries are letting themselves believe in this narrative that Libya is an unsafe place, with no capacity for investment.
"On the contrary, it’s a rather very capitalized country with reserves that can easily be used as collateral for transactions." He added, saying that he sees several paths for the rapprochement with Libya, including a Brazilian participation in the country’s infrastructure agenda and agricultural cooperation.
Brazilian companies were operating several major projects in Libya prior to February revolution in 2011, especially the new Tripoli International Airport project.