Qatar to send foreign minister to cash-strapped Lebanon for support

By Waseem Saifeddin
BEIRUT, Lebanon (AA) – Lebanese President Michel Aoun held talks in Doha on Monday with Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani.

Tamim will dispatch his Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani to Beirut to discuss ways of providing support to Beirut, the Lebanese Presidency said in a statement.

The statement, however, did not specify a date for the foreign minister’s visit to Lebanon.

Qatar “is ready to help Lebanon in all fields to overcome the difficult conditions that have negatively affected the daily life of the Lebanese,” the statement quoted the Qatari ruler as saying.

Aoun, for his part, described Qatar's support to Lebanon as "exemplary" and welcomed the Qatari efforts to channel investments for development projects in Lebanon.

The visit by the Lebanese president to Doha comes amid a diplomatic crisis between Lebanon and Qatar’s Gulf neighbors Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain over critical statements of Lebanese Information Minister George Kordahi of the Saudi-led military campaign in Yemen.

Since late 2019, Lebanon has been grappling with severe domestic challenges including a currency devaluation against the dollar, along with shortages of fuel and medicines.

The Lebanese pound recorded further decline this week as the exchange rate of one dollar reached 25,000 pounds in the parallel market, while its official price is 1,515 pounds.

Writing by Ahmed Asmar in Ankara