New Business Opportunities for Serbian Companies in Libya

Libya is once again emerging as one of the most promising markets for Serbian companies, with growing interest in bilateral cooperation confirmed during the official visit of the Serbian state-business delegation led by the Minister of Domestic and Foreign Trade, Jagoda Lazarević.

During the visit, the two sides agreed to establish a Joint Commission between Serbia and Libya, as well as to continue cooperation between the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Serbia and its Libyan counterpart institutions. The aim is to define common priorities and strengthen the presence of Serbian companies in the Libyan market.

Seven Serbian companies participated in meetings with Libyan government officials and business representatives to discuss opportunities for involvement in Libya's upcoming investment projects. The companies represented the pharmaceutical, construction, water treatment, agricultural machinery, textile, metal processing, and industrial manufacturing sectors: Majevica, Yumco, Kontakt, Unipromet, Hector, Galenika, and MIND Group.

Ana Stojanović, Head of the Middle East and Africa Centre at the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Serbia, emphasized that this was the second visit of a Serbian state-business delegation to Libya within a year, demonstrating the increasingly intensive relations between the two countries and the significant potential of the Libyan market.

"Relations between Serbia and Libya at the government level are excellent, and there is a clear commitment on both sides to further strengthen economic cooperation.

Serbian companies have a long-standing presence in the Libyan market. During the 1970s and 1980s, they participated in the construction of dams, bridges, roads, hospitals, and airports. At one point, more than 20,000 Serbian engineers, experts, and workers lived and worked in Libya. Today is the right time for our companies to return to a market entering a new investment cycle, where there is strong demand for the knowledge, experience, and quality that Serbian businesses can offer," Stojanović said.

She added that the greatest potential for cooperation lies in infrastructure development, construction, water treatment, pharmaceuticals, healthcare, agriculture, the metal industry, and industrial manufacturing.

"The companies that joined the delegation are ready to build long-term partnerships with Libyan businesses. The opening of Unipromet's representative office in the Misrata Free Zone is the first concrete outcome of this visit and demonstrates how quickly these discussions are translating into practical business cooperation," Stojanović noted.

During the visit, the Serbian delegation held meetings with Libyan Minister of Economy and Trade Suhail Abdel Matloub Abu Shiha, Minister of Planning Mohamed Youssef Al-Zaidani, Minister of State for the Affairs of the Prime Minister and the Council of Ministers Mohamed Bengalbun, and Prime Minister of the Government of National Unity Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh.

A roundtable discussion with representatives of Libya's leading ministries, agencies, and business organizations was held at the Ministry of Economy and Trade. In addition, two business forums—organized by the Union of Libyan Chambers and the Misrata Chamber of Commerce—provided opportunities for numerous bilateral meetings between Serbian and Libyan companies.