By Sami Zaptia.
Tripoli, 20 May:
Speaking today to a large gathering of diplomats, business people, exhibitors and visitors in the open air enclosure . . .[restrict]at the Tripoli International Fairgrounds offices, Libya’s Economy Minister, Ahmed Koshly, welcomed the crowd which he happily informed that “Libya has recovered from its wounds and started on its return to normality”.
“There are more than 600 companies present here today. These are our friends who came to join us in the building of Libya”, he said at the official opening event on a warmer than usual Tripoli evening. Among the many guests attending was Italy’s Deputy Minister of Infrastructure and Transport, Mario Ciaccia. Some 130 Italian companies are exhibiting.
“Soon we will have elections and we hope to establish a democratic state. We saw how Japan recovered after the Second World War and we also hope that Libya likewise will rise quickly,” Koshly predicted.
Alluding to the old Libya and the old ways of doing business, he announced to the audience that “we hope Libya will be a state of law and transparency, and we hope the companies here likewise will bring the same type of business ethic to this new Libya”.
Referring to some of the minor reforms that this limited-mandate interim government had been able to implement, he said that ‘”we have started to set in place a series of laws to help facilitate renewed economic activity.” The minister thanked his audience and participants and wished them and Libya the best.
Referring to Koshly’s talk of transparency, the Italian minister said he was happy to underline that “this is what guides us as a government. We believe in the new Libya” Ciaccia added. “Libya, like Italy, has plenty of youth, and we wanted to prove our belief in Libya and its future with this presence of more than 130 Italian companies here today.”
He stressed that “the number alone is not important, but it is added to the fact that they are not only some of the strongest Italian companies but also some of the most well established, with some more than 100 years old,” he proudly proclaimed.
The exhibition was, he stressed, “a chance to work together with transparency. We are here to grow with Libya,” he emphasized. “We are with you always,” he concluded as he thanked the audience.
The gathered, led by the two ministers, then moved en mass to officially open the show visiting various pavilions.
The Libya Build show continues until Thursday 24 May. [/restrict]
