The main border crossing between Libya and Tunisia reopened on 3 February after being closed due to local tensions related to the smuggling of subsidised goods.

Libya's imports from Turkey reached a record high last year, though trade in the other direction fell sharply.

Libya's foreign ministry says that Han Suk-Woo, who was kidnapped on 19 January in Tripoli, has been freed.

South Korea's Foreign Ministry says the trade official kidnapped by gunmen in Tripoli is safe and unharmed.

Han Suk-Woo, the head of the Libya office of the Korean Trade Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA), was taken by four unidentified men in Tripoli on 19 January.

A Turkish construction firm is set to complete work on a new dock at the Misrata Free Zone (MFZ) by the end of February, ahead of schedule.

Visiting Istanbul last week, Libya's prime minister held talks with his Turkish counterpart on defence, energy and and trade issues.

US goods exports to Libya this year will be the highest on record, although the closure of oil ports since July is likely to curtail trade in the other direction.

Libya has signed a Trade and Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA) with the US as part of efforts to increase business ties between the two countries.

The Russian embassy in Tripoli is set to resume work on 8 December, after an attack prompted an evacuation of diplomats in early October.

France's exports to Libya for the first nine months of 2013 have already surpassed the total for the whole of last year, with aircraft making up the single biggest category.

The value of Turkish exports to Libya dipped in the third quarter of the year, suggesting that the post-revolution bilateral trade boom may be starting to level off.

The South Korean ambassador to Libya, Lee-Yung Kook, said that Korean businessmen are keen on returning to work in Libya but are waiting for greater stability.

The economy committee of the General National Congress (GNC) says it aims to attract more investment in the free zone, and will incorporate its running costs into the national budget.

The cabinet has reportedly approved a decision to designate the Gulf of Bomba, which lies 60km east of Derna, a free-trade zone.