TUNIS, Tunisia (PANA)—Prime Minister Mohamed Ghannouchi of Tunisia and the Director-General of the Libyan foreign investment agency, Mouhamed Ali el Houij, Saturday, in Tunis, discussed bilateral cooperation and joint venture opportunities.
Ghannouchi and El Houij also pledged to intensify contacts and meetings between businessmen and promoters from the two countries in order to identify joint projects and to consolidate ties between them.
Meanwhile, a report on the proceedings published Saturday in Tunis at the end of discussions between the Tunisian minister of foreign affairs, Habib Ben Yahia and the secretary of the Libyan People’s Committee for African Unity, Dr Ali Abdessalam Triki, stressed that Tunis and Tripoli were committed to promote and reinforce their commercial cooperation in accordance with decisions reached by their leaders.
The report added that the two officials were satisfied with progress so far recorded in the implementation of the major projects identified, specially in the energy sector.
Also, Libya and Tunisia decided to convene sector commissions before the holding of the next major follow up joint commission, the document stressed.
Libya is Tunisia biggest trading partner in the Maghreb, the Arab world and Africa. Trade between the two countries amounted to 500 million dollars in 1999 and are is expected to rise to 700 million dollars this year.
In their last meeting, President Ben Ali and Libyan leader, Col. Moammar Kadhafi, decided to raise commercial exchanges between them to one billion dollars.
Ben Ali made an official visit in Libya in June.
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