Libya and the United States are exploring investment prospects worth $70 billion, a Libyan journalistic source reports, but the main course concerns the huge offshore deposits in Libya’s exclusive economic zone, which the Americans want for their share.
For this reason, they sent the US president’s energy adviser to Tripoli, Libya, as an indication of their intentions, while another delegation met in Benghazi with its leader, Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar.
Masad Boulos, senior adviser to US President Donald Trump on Africa and the Middle East, completed a series of meetings in Tripoli with senior Libyan officials, aimed at exploring opportunities for economic cooperation and partnership.
The visit, the first of its kind by a senior adviser to the current US administration, included talks with Prime Minister A. Deiba, during which the two sides discussed cooperation in various sectors, including energy, infrastructure, healthcare, telecommunications and minerals.
According to official statements, the Libyan government presented a portfolio of strategic projects worth approximately $70 billion, outlining investment opportunities for international partners, with a particular emphasis on attracting US companies to participate in the country’s development efforts. The meetings also covered developments in Libya’s oil and gas sector.
Specifically, they included investment prospects in new offshore and onshore exploration blocks, as well as ongoing efforts to promote transparency and improve operational efficiency in the energy sector.
Regional issues were also raised
The Libyan Prime Minister expressed concern about the humanitarian situation in Gaza and called for a ceasefire and access to humanitarian assistance.
Following the talks, Mr. Boulos reaffirmed the U.S. government’s interest in supporting the stability of Libya and expanding channels of political and economic cooperation.
Mr. Boulos also met with the President of the National Oil Company (NOC), Engineer Masoud Suleiman.
During the meeting, the Libyan National Oil Company (NOC) presented its strategic goal of increasing national oil production to two million barrels per day by 2030, along with plans to develop the petrochemical sector.
The visit concluded with the signing of a cooperation agreement between Mellitah Oil and Gas and the US company Hill International.
The agreement concerns project management services for two offshore platforms, identified as A and E. In a brief statement released after the meetings, Mr. Boulos described the discussions as constructive, highlighting the shared interest in promoting economic development and strengthening bilateral relations between Libya and the United States.
Turkey, as is known, has undertaken exploration in two specific areas of the Libyan EEZ, below the median line with Greece.
Erdogan bought two more floating drilling rigs with which he dreamed of seizing the two largest hydrocarbon deposits in the Mediterranean on the Libyan coast, but the US seems to be getting ahead of him, leaving him in the cold.
At the same time, Chevron will probably begin exploration south of Crete, in an area of the Greek western EEZ, with a high probability of finding large deposits.
The presence of an American advisor to Trump in Libya shows that the US president wants to control the area between Crete and Libya, from American companies, leaving little to the Turks.
