The UK's Middle East Association (MEA) will be hosting an Ambassadorial Lunch in honour of Michael Aron, HM Ambassador to Libya, on Monday 24th June, at Bury House.
Michael Aron has been Ambassador to Libya since January after three months as Acting Head of Mission. He joined the FCO in 1984 after studying Arabic and French at Leeds University and has spent much of his career in the Middle East or dealing with Middle East issues in London and New York.
Libya remains an extremely popular exporting destination, despite recent political unrest, as the country seeks to rebuild and restructure its economy. The MEA have lead three successful trade missions in the past five months, highlighting the vast range of opportunities for British businesses within the country. The GDP is estimated to stay around 9% for the 2013-2017 period as oil exports increase and the government seek to diversify the economy.
The opportunities available for UK businesses span all sectors and priorities exist in: construction, public work, municipal engineering, transport, communications, power, electricity, water, environment, security and education. UK exports to Libya rose by forty-three percent between January 2012 and January 2013 and the UK government are supporting companies to build on this.
The MEA looks forward to hearing more from Michael about these promising opportunities, and to share his thoughts on UK-Libya relations.
Due to the expected popularity of this event, registrations will be dealt with on a “first come first serve basis” and will only be accepted by the receipt of a completed registration form. On this occasion we will also have to limit companies to registering 1 representative only, this is to allow maximum cross-sector attendance.
Guests should assemble at Bury House for 12.30pm for pre-lunch drinks, sitting down for lunch at 1.00pm. During coffee, our Guest of Honour will talk for 10-15 minutes and then take questions, with the event concluding at about 2.45pm.
Cost for MEA Members is £50 +VAT and £100 + VAT for Non-Members. If you would like to attend, please return the registration form attached to the MEA by close of business, Wednesday 19th June.
