Qatar to send Foreign Minister to cash-strapped Lebanon for support

Lebanese President, Michel Aoun, held talks in Doha on Monday with Qatar’s Emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, Anadolu News Agency reports.

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.

READ: Lebanon ready for talks to end diplomatic row with Gulf states

The visit by the Lebanese President to Doha comes amid a diplomatic crisis between Lebanon and Qatar’s Gulf neighbours, 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.