Lavrov was met by Libyan Foreign Minister Abdelrahman Shalgham at Maatiga military airport outside the capital at the start of the trip. He was due to meet Prime Minister Baghdadi Mahmudi, a Libyan official said.

On Wednesday, Russia announced the visit to the former pariah state saying it was "ready to help Libya realise its enduring right to attain civil nuclear (energy)".

Libya renounced its efforts to acquire weapons of mass destruction four years ago in a move that repaired troubled relations with the West.

A Russian government spokesman said on Wednesday that Lavrov would hold discussions on a range of international and regional issues.

Russia is not the first European power to show it is keen to promote its nuclear know-how in Libya as foreign companies engage in fierce competition to make a profit in the north African country after its 20 years of isolation.

France earlier this month announced plans to sell nuclear reactors to Libya and President Nicolas Sarkozy welcomed Kadhafi for a five-day visit to Paris.

The visit drew fierce protests from human rights groups as well as senior politicians who accused Sarkozy of bestowing international respectability on Libya.