During World War II, Poles and Libyans were part of the Allied coalition, which successfully defended Tobruk during an Axis siege.

[2] In December 1941, the Polish ship SS Warszawa, which carried Allied soldiers, mostly Libyans, was hit and sunk by the Germans near Tobruk.

[10] At the beginning of the civil war, the Polish government was not eager to participate in any military action in Libya, but called the other members of NATO and European Union to use other ways, but prime minister Donald Tusk assured that Poland would take part in some "community activities.

[16] Poland was also member of Libya Contact Group, where it offered to launch humanitarian help and training for state officials and new law and order services.

[27] Three days later Libyan decedents decided to strengthen bilateral relations and notify Polish MFA about upgrading its Economic Cooperation Bureau in Warsaw to the rank of Embassy and establish a joint Libyan-Polish commission headed by its Ministers of Foreign Affairs.