A Lebanese-Saudi summit is scheduled for this afternoon in Riyadh between President of the Republic, Michel Aoun, and the Saudi monarch, Salman Ben Abdel Aziz. The summit will be preceded by extended talks between the two parties.
The President of the Republic began the activities on the second day of his visit to Saudi Arabia by meeting the members of the accompanying delegation, in order to put the final touches on the preparations for the talks to be held.
President Aoun met with Saudi Minister of Culture, Adel Ben Zeid El-Traifi, in the presence of Minister of State for Presidential Affairs, Pierre Raffoul, and the Ambassador of Lebanon Abdel Sattar Issa.
Later, Aoun met with Saudi Trade and Investment minister, Majed Bin Abdullah El Qasibi, also in the presence of Minister Pierre Raffoul and the Ambassador of Lebanon.
Minister Qasibi said at the end of the meeting that Lebanon is an integral part of the Arab world; a country whose stability and security consolidate those of the region.
According to him, Lebanon is not only geographically close to the Kingdom, but also in terms of spirit and civilization, insofar as the Saudis value this country and aspire to it.
Moreover, Minister El-Qasibi met with the Lebanese Minister of Economy and Trade Raed Khoury, who described the talks as positive, noting that his counterpart knew and loved Lebanon closely.
He said that he had discussed with his counterpart trade issues, particularly in relation to the leisure industry, especially since Lebanon is known for its expertise at this level as well as its experience in the field of services.
“We have also addressed the issue of information technology related to trade and cooperation in the financial and banking sectors. Rules of cooperation will be established in this regard,” he said.
The minister added that an agreement has been reached with the Saudi side on the formation of a joint commission between the ministries of Economy of the two countries in order to follow up on several issues related to Lebanese exports to the Kingdom.
