Politics

MP Gebran Bassil headed the Strong Lebanon bloc's delegation that held consultations with President Michel Aoun, saying in the wake of the meeting: "We, as a parliamentary bloc, participated constitutionally in the consultations in response to the President's call. The Free Patriotic Movement's position is known; we favor a reform government of specialists -- be it premier or ministers -- in harmony with the French initiative's general atmosphere."   "This time in the consultations, the circumstances have led to one candidate who is not a specialist, but rather a political figure par excellence, so we decided not to name anyone. Our stance is purely political and not personal, and it stems from adopting one criteria in forming any government," he stressed.   Bassil be...

Nicosia, Cyprus, Egypt and Greece have affirmed the necessity of respecting the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Syria, expressing their condemnation of any illegal foreign military presence on its territory. That came during a press conference on Wednesday brought together Presidents of Cyprus Nikos Anastasiades and Egypt Abdel Fattah El-Sisi and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis following their meeting in Nicosia. The three leaders stressed that the solution to the crisis in Syria is political according to International Resolution 2254, based on respecting its sovereignty and territorial integrity. “The three countries condemn the illegal practices of the Turkish regime in the eastern Mediterranean, Libya and in Syria.”  The President of Cyprus said, underlining t...

Dammam, Prince Ahmed bin Fahd bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, Deputy Governor of Eastern Region, met today with Ambassador of Kenya to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Peter Ogegoand and his accompanying delegation. The Deputy Governor praised the keenness of the leadership to strengthen Saudi Arabia's relations with various countries and the level of relations between the Kingdom and Kenya. During the meeting, they discussed issues of common interest and ways to strengthen relations between the two countries. For his part, the Ambassador affirmed his country's keenness to enhance relations between the two countries in various fields, wishing the government and people of Saudi Arabia further progress and prosperity.   Source: Saudi Press Agency

Moscow, The Russian Foreign Ministry said it discusses with the Turkish regime the issue of bringing terrorist mercenaries from Syria and Libya to Nagoron Karabakh region. The American Wall Street Journal and Washington Post confirmed last Thursday that Erdogan regime was involved in sending a large number of terrorist mercenaries to fight in the Nagorno Karabakh region. Special Representative of the Russian President for Middle East and African Affairs, Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov said in a statement to journalists today, in response to a question about whether the Russian side, in the context of contacts with the Turkish regime, stresses that it does not accept the participation of mercenaries in the conflict zone, that sure, of course. In this context, a source tol...

President of the Republic, General Michel Aoun met US Assistant Secretary of State for Middle East Affairs, David Schenker, today at the Presidential Palace. The President informed Schenker that Lebanon “Heavily relies on the US mediating role to reach just solutions during the negotiations which began a few days ago to demarcate the southern maritime borders”, considering that “This role can help overcome difficulties which may hinder the negotiation process”. President Aoun also thanked the United States of America for the support provided to Lebanon after the ordeal resulting from the Beirut Port explosion, and the aid sent to the affected. In addition, President Aoun assured Schenker that work is ongoing to establish a clean Government which focuses on achieving necessary refo...

President Aoun received the credentials of four new Ambassadors accredited to Lebanon, today at Baabda Palace. Ambassadors are: Canadian Ambassador, Chantal Chastenay, Austrian Ambassador, Dr. Rene Paul Amry, French Ambassador, Anne Grillo and Russian Ambassador, Alexander Nikolaevich Rudavov. The credential-presentation ceremony was attended by Foreign Affairs Minister, Charbel Wehbe, Secretary General of the Foreign Affairs Ministry, Ambassador Hani Shmeitly, Protocol Director General of the Presidency, Dr. Nabil Chedid, and the Protocol Director General at the Foreign Affairs Ministry, Mrs. Abir Ali. Upon the successive arrival of the Ambassadors to the Presidential Palace, the approved ceremonies were held, and the army’s music played the anthem of the country represented by t...

The President of the Republic, General Michel Aoun, expressed his hope that Spain would play an important role in the European Union and other international forums to support and help Lebanon in the difficult circumstances it is going through, stressing that work is based on forming a new Government which faces the challenges ahead at various levels. The President’s stances came while receiving the Spanish Minister of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation, Mrs. Arancha Gonzales Laya, who conveyed President Aoun’s greetings to the Spanish King, Philippi VI and the Spanish Government for the support received  by Lebanon after the recent Beirut Port Explosion, and for the participation of the Spanish Prime Minister in the Paris Conference in support of Beirut and the Lebanese. ...

The Minister of Foreign Affairs, European Union (EU) and Cooperation of Spain, H.E Ms. Arancha Gonzلlez Laya, on Friday visited Lebanon's Vice Prime Minister and Minister of National Defense, Zeina Akar. Discussions reportedly focused on the best means to help Lebanon overcome its crises, especially in the wake of Beirut port blast, and the repercussions of the Syrian refugee presence on Lebanon. The pair also highlighted the importance of boosting coordination and communication between the two countries on many different levels. For her part, Minister Akar lauded "Spain's permanent role in supporting and assisting Lebanon, especially through its participation in UNIFIL." Separately, Minister Akar held a meeting with the Lebanese delegation tasked to hold technical negotiations ...

Riyadh, His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, Crown Prince, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense received a telephone call here today from the President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin. During the call, cooperation between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Russian Federation, in the field of fighting the spread of Coronavirus, was discussed as well as reasserting the two sides continuation of coordination, in order to support the oil markets' stability and the growth of the world economy.   Source: Saudi Press Agency

Moscow, Russian Foreign Ministry has criticized reports issued by Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons / OPCW/ regarding the alleged chemical attacks in Syria, stressing that the organization has showed its politicization and bias. “The activities made by the fact-finding committee on the allegations of using chemical weapons in Syria won’t rise to the level of the professional and objective investigation with strict commitment to all items of the chemical weapons convention,” the Russian Foreign ministry said in a statement on Thursday. It added that the main information source of the fact finding committee is social media and nongovernmental organizations linked to terrorist groups.   Source: Syrian Arab News Agency