The relationship between these countries was tense in the late 1980s following a bombing incident, but improved since with increasingly close co-operation especially on economic matters.

[1][2] However, during the 2011 Libyan civil war, Germany sided politically with the National Transitional Council, which it recognized as Libya's legitimate government after severing ties with Muammar Gaddafi's regime.

Another issue discussed was landmines planted by the German Army during World War II.

Xinhua reported that this meeting also resulted in "the inking of big deals in the energy sector, ushering in a brand-new relationship between Libya and Germany.

"[5] In 2020, Chancellor Angela Merkel announced that Germany would host peace talks between Libya's fighting parties.