President Aoun: A New Chapter in Lebanon-UAE Relations

Exchange and integration in several directions

President of the Republic, General Joseph Aoun, welcomed at Baabda Palace, an Emirati delegation currently on a visit to Lebanon to study and assess the needs of the Lebanese state and its priorities, in implementation of the outcomes of the recent Lebanese-Emirati summit.

President Aoun told the delegation: "The interest shown by Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed in supporting Lebanon confirms the depth of the fraternal relationship between the two countries and the two brotherly peoples."

"The presence of the UAE mission in Beirut today represents a practical translation of this relationship, which is growing day by day, and is a source of gratitude and appreciation from the Lebanese people of all segments," said President Aoun.

President Aoun also pointed out that "the current phase requires expanding cooperation and deepening areas of exchange and integration in several directions, from education, governance, and public sector management, to private sector initiatives and various investments, especially in the economies of the future, i.e. the economies of knowledge, digitization, high technology, and others."

The Emirati delegation, chaired by UAE Deputy Minister of Cabinet Affairs for Competitiveness and Knowledge Exchange, Abdulla Nasser Lootah, includes Fahad Al Kaabi, Chargé d'Affaires of the UAE Embassy in Beirut; Ibrahim Salman, Executive Director of Government Performance and Excellence at the Prime Minister's Office; Manal Bin Salem, Executive Director of the Government Knowledge Exchange Office; Mohammed Hassan Ahli, Executive Director of Statistics and Data Science; Amer Al Awadhi, Executive Director of Special Projects at the Dubai Future Foundation; Rashid Al Humairi, Director of the Development and International Cooperation Department at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Executive Director of Operations at the Emirates International Aid Agency; Majid Al Masafri, Senior Specialist at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs; and Abdullah Al Mansouri, Regional Director at the Abu Dhabi Fund for Development. 

 Minister Abdullah Nasser Lootah, in turn, expressed his happiness and that of the delegation members to be in Beirut, as a translation of the successful visit made by President Aoun to Abu Dhabi and the response of His Highness the President of the State to the desire to activate Lebanese-Emirati relations based on the trust between the two presidents in the future of relations between the two countries.

Minister Lootah said, "The delegation's visit aims to define the frames of partnership and exchange data. The UAE will stand by Lebanon in achieving its aspirations.. We will work to provide everything that enhances joint cooperation, in accordance with extensive facilities and directives issued by His Highness the President of the UAE."

 The meeting between President Aoun and the Emirati delegation was preceded by a technical work meeting at the General Directorate of the Presidency of the Lebanese Republic. The meeting, which included members of the Emirati delegation, was attended by the Director General of the Presidency of the Republic, Dr. Antoine Choucair, and a number of President Aoun's advisors.

During the meeting, discussions touched on  cooperation mechanisms in various fields, most notably: modernizing and simplifying administrative procedures, digital transformation, developing the legal framework, and enhancing the effectiveness of public institutions, as part of the knowledge exchange and technical support programs between the two countries.