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Tag: Lebanon

  • Turkey offers help to rebuild Beirut seaport

    Turkey offers help to rebuild Beirut seaport

    Turkish President, Lebanese PM vow to enhance cooperation …. Reports ADD Newsdesk

    Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said that his country intends to strengthen cooperation and solidarity with Lebanon in a wide range of fields.

    Erdogan’s remarks came at a joint press conference on Tuesday with visiting Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati in Ankara, Xinhua news agency reported.

    The Turkish President noted that his country considers the Lebanese people’s problems and achievements as its own, and is ready to lend support to the Lebanese government’s reform efforts.

    The trade volume between Turkey and Lebanon increased by around 80 per cent worth $1.8 billion in 2021 despite the pandemic, he stressed.

    “We discussed the steps that can be taken to boost that figure,” Erdogan added, noting that Turkish companies are ready to undertake major infrastructure projects in Lebanon, including reconstruction of the Beirut Port.

    ALSO READ: Is Turkey once again veering towards a ‘zero-problems’ foreign policy?

    “I believe that Turkish products are suitable and attractive for the Lebanese market in many aspects such as price, quality, and transportation costs,” Erdogan added, noting that his country also wants to diversify the products it imports from Lebanon.

    According to Erdogan, Turkey’s flag carrier Turkish Airlines has been offering a 20 per cent discount on all Beirut-bound flights valid until the end of February to boost tourism activities.

    On his part, Mikati said bilateral ties would continue to expand on solid foundations.

    He noted that Turkey and Lebanon would take strong steps to improve relations in a wide range of fields, including political, economic, trade, and tourism.

    Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

    Meanwhile, Lebanese Minister of Social Affairs Hector Hajjar said that about 50 per cent of the country’s population have registered for social assistance through the social safety net financing plan funded by the World Bank.

    A total of 550,000 families, or 3.5 million individuals, have registered for cash assistance, mostly from areas in Akkar, Baabda and Tripoli.

    “Each family will receive a fixed amount of $25 monthly, and an extra $20 for each child in the family, for up to six children,” the minister explained.

    Funded by a World Bank loan of $246 million, the social safety net financing plan aims at helping the most vulnerable families in Lebanon which has been going through its worst economic and financial crisis with a poverty rate exceeding 75 per cent.

    Hajjar noted that registrations for the cash assistance revealed that around 250,000 Lebanese families or 2.5 million individuals live under the extreme poverty line.

    In another development, Kuwait hosted the 156th consultative meeting of Arab Foreign Ministers to discuss regional and international issues.

    During a joint press conference with Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul-Gheit, Kuwaiti Foreign Minister Sheikh Ahmad Nasser al-Mohammad al-Sabah said that Lebanon’s response on rebuilding trust with the Gulf Arab countries has been received.

    ”We received a response from Lebanon last night, and Kuwait, along with other Gulf countries, will study this reply to determine the next step concerning Lebanon,” he said, hailing the response as potentially instrumental in getting Lebanon and the Gulf Arab states back on the same page.

    The consultative meeting among the Arab ministers was positive, al-Sabah noted, adding that there was a unanimous Arab decision condemning the Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia and the UAE.

    For his part, Aboul-Gheit stressed that the meeting also dealt with the conditions and problems in the Arab region.

    Moreover, the meeting emphasized the security cooperation among Arab League member states, according to Kuwait News Agency.

  • Lebanon’s 50% population registers for World Bank’s social safety plan

    Lebanon’s 50% population registers for World Bank’s social safety plan

    Lebanese Minister of Social Affairs Hector Hajjar said that about 50 per cent of the country’s population have registered for social assistance through the social safety net financing plan funded by the World Bank…reports Asian Lite News

    A total of 550,000 families, or 3.5 million individuals, have registered for cash assistance, mostly from areas in Akkar, Baabda and Tripoli, Xinhua news agency quoted Hajjar as saying on Monday.

    “Each family will receive a fixed amount of $25 monthly, and an extra $20 for each child in the family, for up to six children,” he explained.

    Funded by a World Bank loan of $246 million, the social safety net financing plan aims at helping the most vulnerable families in Lebanon which has been going through its worst economic and financial crisis with a poverty rate exceeding 75 per cent.

    ALSO READ: Lebanon’s crisis forces more youth to drop out of school Unicef

    Hajjar noted that registrations for the cash assistance revealed that around 250,000 Lebanese families or 2.5 million individuals live under the extreme poverty line.

  • Lebanon’s crisis forces more youth to drop out of school Unicef

    Lebanon’s crisis forces more youth to drop out of school Unicef

    Lebanon’s crisis is increasingly forcing young people to drop out of school and engage in ill-paid, irregular and informal work to survive and help feed their families…reports Asian Lite News

    Dubbed “Searching for Hope”, the report released on Friday states that more than four in 10 youths in Lebanon reduced spending on education to buy basic food, medicine and other essential items, and three in 10 stopped their education altogether, reports Xinhua news agency.

    It added that the enrolment in Lebanese educational institutions dropped from 60 per cent in 2020-2021 to 43 per cent in the current academic year.

    Ettie Higgins, Unicef Deputy Representative in Lebanon, urged for much-needed support for young people in Lebanon.

    ALSO READ:

    “Investments are needed to ensure financial concerns do not prevent them from getting the education and skills they need to eventually find decent work and contribute to the stability and prosperity of Lebanon,” he said.

    While more and more young people are forced to drop out of education, they often find themselves ill-equipped to compete for increasingly scarce jobs and frequently end up taking up low-paid jobs in the informal sector, according to the report.

    It also noted that working youth have an average monthly income of about 1,600,000 Lebanese pounds, equivalent to about $64 at the black-market rate.

  • Lebanese President denies claims delay in parliamentary elections

    Lebanese President denies claims delay in parliamentary elections

    Lebanese President Michel Aoun has denied claims about a possible delay in parliamentary elections following former Prime Minister Saad Hariri’s decision to step away from politics…reports Asian Lite News

    “We are carrying out all the necessary preparations for holding the elections on time, and I do not see any reason for delaying them,” Aoun said after meeting with Lebanon’s senior Sunni cleric Grand Mufti Abdul Latif Derian.

    Hariri announced on January 24 that he would suspend his involvement in the political scene, and would not run in the upcoming parliamentary elections, reports Xinhua news agency.

    Over the past few days, several reports circulated about a possible boycott by the Sunni sect in Lebanon for the 2022 parliamentary elections, which would force a delay in voting.

    ALSO READ: Lebanon’s Hariri suspends political career

    Aoun, the Maronite Christian President, emphasised the role played by the Sunni community in preserving Lebanon’s unity and political diversity, and called for the participation of all components of Lebanon in national and political life.

    The international community has, on many occasions, called for timely parliamentary elections in hope to see change and reform taking place in Lebanon.

  • Half of Lebanon’s population at risk of food insecurity

    Half of Lebanon’s population at risk of food insecurity

    Around half of Lebanon’s population is at risk of food insecurity due to a lack of access to basic food needs amid the current economic crisis, Agriculture Minister Abbas Hajj Hassan said.

    The Minister made the remarks during the 14th Global Forum for Food and Agriculture, which was held virtually due to the Covid-19 pandemic, reports Xinhua news agency.

    Lebanon is facing food insecurity since a shortage of US dollars and a depreciation of its local currency, as the country imports about 85 per cent of its food, the Minister said.

    He also said that the Covid-19 pandemic has an impact on Lebanon’s ability to obtain essential food supplies.

    ALSO READ: Syrian President orders to provide electricity transfer from Jordan to Lebanon

    According to the Minister, Lebanon’s agriculture sector urgently needs to improve its resilience and sustainability to provide the entire population’s food and nutritional needs.

    “Our region is heavily reliant on food imports and is already dealing with water scarcity, drought, desertification, and the effects of climate change on agriculture, food, and natural resources, as well as security instability, wars, and displacement,” Hajj Hassan said, urging for strategies that focus on finding appropriate solutions to these challenges.

  • Syrian President orders to provide electricity transfer from Jordan to Lebanon

    Syrian President orders to provide electricity transfer from Jordan to Lebanon

    Visiting Syrian Energy Minister Ghassan al-Zamil has said that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has ordered to provide all needed assistance to facilitate the transfer of electricity from Jordan to Lebanon through Syria…reports Asian Lite News

    “President Assad is keen to ensure the implementation of this project which would pave the way for increased Arab cooperation in the near future,” al-Zamil was quoted as saying in a statement on Tuesday released by Lebanon’s Presidency, following the Syrian Minister’s meeting with Lebanese President Michel Aoun at the Baabda Palace.

    On Wednesday, a signing ceremony for an energy deal among Lebanon, Jordan and Syria is scheduled to be held at the Lebanese Energy Ministry in the capital Beirut, Xinhua news agency reported.

    The Syrian Energy Minister noted that the rehabilitation of his country’s power network had been completed by the end of 2021 to allow the transfer of electricity from Jordan to Lebanon.

    ALSO READ: US will allow Lebanon to import energy through Syria

    The deal will provide Lebanon with up to 250 megawatts of electricity during the day and 150 megawatts at night, equivalent to a total of two additional hours of power, according to Lebanon’s Energy Minister Walid Fayad.

    The agreement, which came amid Lebanon’s severe power outage, is part of the government’s wider efforts to increase the daily power supply to eight hours from just two hours now in most parts of the country.

    The Lebanese government is also preparing to sign an agreement later this year to import gas from Egypt through the Arab Gas Pipeline and boost Lebanon’s electricity output.

  • Former Lebanese Prime Minister to boycott parliamentary elections

    Former Lebanese Prime Minister to boycott parliamentary elections

    Former Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri called on members of his Future Movement party to boycott the upcoming parliamentary elections…reports Asian Lite News

    “We will continue to serve our people, but our decision is to suspend any role in power, politics and parliament,” said Hariri in a live televised address.

    Hariri, a leading Lebanese Sunni politician, said he succeeded in preventing a new civil war in Lebanon but was not able to provide the people with a better life he had promised, reports Xinhua news agency.

    ALSO READ: Lebanon’s Hariri suspends political career

    There will be little positive prospect for Lebanon in the light of Iranian influence, sectarianism, and the collapse of the state, he added.

  • Lebanon’s Hariri suspends political career

    Lebanon’s Hariri suspends political career

    Saad Hariri, former Lebanese Prime Minister has announced that he would not run in the upcoming parliamentary elections, suspending his political career, it was reported…reports Asian Lite News

    The 51-year-old three-time premier — who was propelled into politics after the 2005 assassination of his father, former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri — announced his decision at a press conference in Beirut, the Arab News reported.

    He also called on the Future Movement, which he heads, to follow suit and not run in the upcoming parliamentary elections nor nominate anyone to run on its behalf.

    Hariri expressed his conviction that this step was correct because “there is no room for any positive opportunity for Lebanon in light of the Iranian influence, international confusion, national division, rise of sectarian tensions, and the deterioration of the state,” the Arab News reported.

     “Our decision is to suspend any role or responsibility in the political power, the legislative, and politics in its tradition sense, and we, from our stance as citizens, will remain faithful to the project of Rafik Hariri to avoid the civil war and to work for a better life for all Lebanese,” he said.

    “We will remain in the service of Lebanon and the Lebanese, and our house will remain open for the good will and for our kinship and loved ones from all over Lebanon,” he added.

    Earlier, Kuwaiti Foreign Minister, Sheikh Ahmad Nasser Al-Mohammad Al-Sabah, who visited Beirut, had said that his country made suggestions to Lebanese President Michel Aoun on how Lebanon might rebuild confidence with the Gulf states.

    “All of these suggestions are derived from international legitimacy resolutions and resolutions of the League of Arab States,” Al-Sabah told a press conference on Sunday after a meeting with Aoun on the second day of his two-day visit to Lebanon.

    ALSO READ: Kuwait Foreign Minister seeks to restore ties with Lebanon

    He noted Kuwait does not want Lebanon to be a platform for any verbal or actual attacks against Arab states, Xinhua news agency reported.

    For his part, the Lebanese President said Lebanon is committed to implementing the Taif Agreement which ended the civil war in Lebanon and relevant international legitimacy and Arab resolutions, and Al-Sabah’s proposal will be subject to consultations.

    Aoun reiterated the strength of the Lebanese-Kuwaiti relations while thanking Kuwait for always standing with Lebanon in difficult times.

    This is the first visit by a senior official from a Gulf country to Lebanon in an effort to find ways of restoring bilateral ties since a diplomatic rift emerged between the two sides in 2021.

  • Kuwait Foreign Minister seeks to restore ties with Lebanon

    Kuwait Foreign Minister seeks to restore ties with Lebanon

    Visiting Kuwaiti Foreign Minister Sheikh Ahmad Nasser Al-Mohammad Al-Sabah said that his country seeks to restore ties with Lebanon…reports Asian Lite News

    “For this to happen, we call on Lebanon to distance itself from internal affairs of other countries and avoid being a platform for attacking Arab and Gulf countries,” Xinhua news agency quoted Al-Sabah as saying following his meeting with Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati here on Saturday.

    Al-Sabah said his two-day visit to Lebanon also aims to convey a message of solidarity with the Lebanese people and to encourage Lebanon to implement necessary reforms to restore its prosperity.

    Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati

    For his part, Mikati said Lebanon is looking forward to closer cooperation with Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries.

    “Lebanon will restore its strong ties with its Arab brothers,” Mikati welcomed Al-Sabah’s visit, adding the visit reflects “brotherly feelings and a long history of trust between Lebanon and Kuwait.”

    This is the first visit by a senior Gulf official to Lebanon since a diplomatic rift between the two sides last year.

    GCC countries including Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain expelled in October Lebanese diplomats and recalled their own envoys following a Lebanese Minister’s controversial comments about the Saudi-led military intervention in Yemen.

    ALSO READ: Kuwait, Saudi vow to strengthen bilateral relations

    The Kuwaiti Foreign Minister also said that his country has made suggestions to Lebanese President Michel Aoun on how Lebanon might rebuild confidence with the Gulf states.

    “All of these suggestions are derived from international legitimacy resolutions and resolutions of the League of Arab States,” Al-Sabah told a press conference on Sunday after a meeting with Aoun on the second day of his two-day visit to Lebanon.

    He noted Kuwait does not want Lebanon to be a platform for any verbal or actual attacks against Arab states, Xinhua news agency reported.

    For his part, the Lebanese President said Lebanon is committed to implementing the Taif Agreement which ended the civil war in Lebanon and relevant international legitimacy and Arab resolutions, and Al-Sabah’s proposal will be subject to consultations.

    Aoun reiterated the strength of the Lebanese-Kuwaiti relations while thanking Kuwait for always standing with Lebanon in difficult times.

    This is the first visit by a senior official from a Gulf country to Lebanon in an effort to find ways of restoring bilateral ties since a diplomatic rift emerged between the two sides in 2021.

  • UN allocates $6mn in support of crisis-hit people in Lebanon

    UN allocates $6mn in support of crisis-hit people in Lebanon

    The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in Lebanon said that has allocated $6 million for supporting the most vulnerable people affected by the ongoing crisis in the country…reports Asian Lite News

    The funds were allocated through the Lebanon Humanitarian Fund (LHF) to 14 non-governmental organisation projects aimed at providing child protection, gender-based violence, and education assistance in the country, as part of the Lebanon Emergency Response Plan (ERP), Xinhua news agency quoted the OCHA as saying.

    Syrian and Palestinian refugees and migrants are among the targeted populations, the statement said.

    “In this allocation, the support will be for children out of education or at risk of dropout, children with disabilities and child survivors of gender-based violence, as well as survivors of gender-based violence and individuals at high risk of exploitation and abuse including those people with disabilities and special needs,” said Najat Rochdi, UN humanitarian coordinator for Lebanon and custodian of the LHF.

    ALSO READ: Many stores in Lebanon shut down due to financial crisis

    It is worth noting that the ERP only received $36.2 million out of its total request of $383 million for 2021, leaving considerable lifesaving activities unmet.

    Lebanon is grappling with an economic and financial meltdown, Covid-19 pandemic, and the disastrous human impact of the 2020 Beirut Port explosions, as well as the impact of the Syrian crisis.