Libya Shopping for Weapons
Since 2003, the Libyan government has developed friendly relations with the rest of the world, and with this the prospect of trade has vastly increased for the North African country. In particular, Libya is seeking a supplier for modern weapons from many European countries. During the Soviet era, Libya received aircraft, small arms and missiles from that source, however this ended after the fall of the Soviet Union. Because Libya is now relatively friendly with many European powers, it has the ability to shop around for these weapons.
Libya and Russia created closer ties recently and according to the Associated Press, $4.5 billion in debt was written off by Russia in exchange for a lucrative petroleum and railway contract. The two countries have also recently signed a “deal on cooperation in peaceful use of nuclear energy.” Increasing ties since the collapse of the USSR have made Russia a viable supplier of these weapons again.
However, Russia is not Libya’s only source of weapons. Gadhafi recently undertook week-long tour of Russia, Belarus and Ukraine, and with their Soviet era weapons factories, Belarus and Ukraine have become strong competitors in the market for weapons. As well, Gadhafi claims that he has received offers from Britain, France and Italy, allowing Libya to seek the best price.
David Crowley
