Putin flirting with Libya
2000-12-06 13:41
Moscow - Russian President Vladimir Putin sent a message on Tuesday to Muammar Gaddafi urging the Libyan leader to join in regular consultations over regional security issues, the Kremlin said.
Putin said he and Gaddafi should also consult on ways to curb the
spread of international terrorism and the prospects of building
stronger trade and military ties between the two states.
In July, Putin accepted an invitation from Gaddafi to visit
Tripoli, although no date for the trip has yet been announced.
Russia first resumed economic and diplomatic ties with its
Soviet-era ally in May last year after the UN Security Council
suspended seven years of sanctions, which included a ban on imports
of oil-related equipment and a freeze on financial assets abroad.
A special Russo-Libyan commission on co-operation in military
technology has met three times this year. It has announced that the
two sides plan to sign a string of economic contracts worth over
$600 million by the end of this year.
Russia is already building a natural gas pipeline in Libya and a thermal power plant in Tripoli. - Sapa-AFP
- SAPA