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BEIRUT, Feb. 23 (Xinhua) - - Lebanon's Prime Minister Saad Hariri lauded Thursday the decades-long relationship between Lebanon and Egypt, and thanked the latter for having always been a source of support for Lebanon and its people during the most difficult times, the National News Agency (NNA) reported.
Hariri represented by Telecoms Minister Jamal Jarrah, inaugurated the third Lebanese-Egyptian Business Forum, organized by the Egyptian-Lebanese Businessmen Friendship Association, in presence of Egyptian Minister of Investment and International Cooperation, Sahar Nasr, Lebanese Trade and Economy Minister Raed Khoury along with officials and investors from both countries, said the NNA.
"Late Prime Minister, Rafik Hariri, had always stressed the paramount importance of Arab unity, which he insisted would only be built on economic grounds. Economic unity is part and parcel to resolve political disputes between countries. Late Hariri used to reiterate the fact that we should all believe and trust in each other to be able to build a rigid economy," Jarrah said.
"We stand at the threshold of a new phase in Lebanon and the Arab world. President of the Republic, Michel Aoun's visit to Egypt emanates from his keenness on developing bilateral ties, at all levels," Jarrah concluded.
Nasr, for her part, emphasized the importance of bolstering Lebanese-Egyptian economic.
"Our meeting today is an important opportunity to discuss existing initiatives by the businessmen of both countries -- in support of the Egyptian and Lebanese economies -- and to discuss the best means to integrate these initiatives within the works of the Egyptian-Lebanese Joint Higher Committee, which will be holding its 8th meeting in Cairo in March 2017," she said.
The first forum was held in Beirut on February 13, 2015 and the second on November 10, 2015 with the participation of ministers and around 200 business leaders from both countries.
