Marqos reveals details of the ministerial meeting: from Iraqi oil to Turkish electricity

Prime Minister Dr. Nawaf Salam chaired the regular ministerial meeting this morning at the Grand Serail, with economic, development and regional files topping the agenda, amid government efforts to broaden prospects for cooperation with Arab countries and strengthen the foundations of economic recovery.

Following the session, Information Minister, lawyer Dr. Paul Marqos, outlined the أبرز decisions and discussions that took place during the meeting, conveying the prime minister’s positions regarding the outcome of his recent visit to Iraq and the new directions and cooperation plans that emerged from it.

Marqos said: "At the start of the meeting, and regarding his visit to Iraq, the Prime Minister began by noting that the government is always ready to make use of all options available at any given moment in order to achieve the goals of economic revival, drawing on all regional and international support available for the path of recovery and state-building."

He added: "In this context, Prime Minister Salam, upon his return from Iraq, contacted Syrian Foreign Minister Mr. Asaad al-Shaibani, stressing the importance of strengthening regional interconnectedness for the mutual benefit of all."

Marqos noted that the meeting witnessed extensive discussion on the prospects for Lebanese-Iraqi cooperation, particularly in the energy sector, and the possibility of linking Lebanon to the Basra-Tripoli pipeline, which would allow it to benefit from Lebanon’s storage capacities, in parallel with a move toward establishing a new refinery, in light of Iraq’s plans to increase its oil production.

He continued: "There was discussion during the meeting about linking Lebanon, as a result of this visit, to the Basra-Tripoli line, given the shared benefit and Lebanon’s large storage capacity, along with a move toward establishing a new refinery, all in light of Iraq’s determination to increase oil production. There was also discussion of forming a Lebanese-Iraqi technical committee to examine these issues and move forward with them, particularly regarding cooperation between the two countries on the special economic zone."

He added that the government is also moving toward rehabilitating oil storage tanks to facilitate overland transport operations, similar to the mechanism adopted with the Port of Baniyas.

He said: "A second issue that was addressed was strengthening electricity supply in cooperation with the Turkish authorities. The third issue was activating internet services, while the final issue was consumer protection, in addition to various other topics."