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Egypt Affirms 'Full Support' for Lebanon to Overcome 'Difficult Circumstances'

El-Kabbag visits a child care center in Lebanon. (Photo: Egyptian Cabinet)
El-Kabbag visits a child care center in Lebanon. (Photo: Egyptian Cabinet)
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Egypt Affirms 'Full Support' for Lebanon to Overcome 'Difficult Circumstances'

El-Kabbag visits a child care center in Lebanon. (Photo: Egyptian Cabinet)
El-Kabbag visits a child care center in Lebanon. (Photo: Egyptian Cabinet)

Egypt renewed its “full support” for Lebanon to overcome its “difficult conditions”, pointing to the importance of reviving production rather than relying solely on foreign aid.

Egypt’s Minister of Social Solidarity Nivine El-Kabbag concluded a three-day visit to Beirut on Sunday, within the work program of the delegation of the Executive Office of the Council of Arab Social Affairs Ministers.

The delegation includes Head of the Executive Office of the Council of Arab Social Affairs Ministers, Minister of Social Development of Jordan, Ayman Al-Mufleh, Minister of Social Solidarity in Egypt, Nivine El-Kabbag, Assistant Secretary-General and Head of the Social Affairs Sector in the League of Arab States Ambassador Dr. Haifa Abu Ghazaleh, Secretary-General of the Union of Arab Chambers, Khaled Al-Hanafi, and Head of the Technical Secretariat of the Council of Arab Social Affairs Ministers in the League of Arab States, Plenipotentiary Minister Tariq Al-Nabulsi.

A statement by the Egyptian ministry of Solidarity said that Kabbag met with caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati, and underlined “Egypt’s full support for Lebanon in light of the circumstances it is going through, in implementation of President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi’s directives.”

She also presented Egypt’s experiences in a number of aspects of social support.

Kabbag also met with President Michel Aoun and emphasized the full readiness to support Lebanese civil society in cooperation with the Executive Council of Arab Ministers of Social Affairs, through Egyptian civil society associations and institutions.

She noted that meetings with Lebanese officials were aimed at reviewing the best means to provide social protection and extend safety nets, as well as reviving the production cycle to strengthen the country’s economy.

The minister stressed that Lebanon has a lot of wealth that it can invest, expressing her confidence in the country’s ability to regain its prosperity and development in the near future.

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Erbil Increases Pressure on Baghdad Amid Ongoing Salary Dispute

A session of the Kurdistan Regional Parliament (AFP)
A session of the Kurdistan Regional Parliament (AFP)
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Erbil Increases Pressure on Baghdad Amid Ongoing Salary Dispute

A session of the Kurdistan Regional Parliament (AFP)
A session of the Kurdistan Regional Parliament (AFP)

Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani prepares to visit Baghdad this week to attend a meeting of the State Administration Coalition, according to the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) spokesperson, Delshad Shihab.

Meanwhile, KRG Prime Minister Masrour Barzani criticized the federal government’s treatment of the region as “unacceptable.”

The State Administration Coalition, a political and parliamentary bloc, includes the Shiite Coordination Framework alongside Sunni and Kurdish parties supporting Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani’s government. Despite their backing, Sunni and Kurdish factions have voiced frustrations over unfulfilled promises in the “political agreement document,” citing persistent disputes among political factions as the cause.

The worsening salary crisis has become a significant issue for the KRG, drawing public criticism from citizens. While Erbil insists that salary payments are an undeniable right, Baghdad has linked them to broader conditions, including Kurdistan’s obligation to hand over oil revenues, customs fees, and border checkpoint revenues to the federal government.

Despite occasional financial transfers from Baghdad under Sudani’s government—every two to three months—the payments have been insufficient to resolve the crisis in Kurdistan. Nechirvan Barzani’s upcoming visit to Baghdad aims to present a stronger Kurdish position. However, internal divisions between the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), led by Masoud Barzani, and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), led by Bafel Talabani, as well as opposition from smaller Kurdish parties, weaken Erbil’s ability to assert its demands.

In preparation for Barzani’s visit, the KRG convened an “extraordinary” meeting on Saturday to forge a unified stance on its negotiations with Baghdad, in the presence of KRG representatives in Baghdad and leaders of Kurdish parliamentary blocs.

“The federal government’s treatment of the Kurdistan Region does not align with its status as a federal entity,” the prime minister said during the meeting.

He also accused the Iraqi authorities of selectively adhering to federal court rulings, stating: “The government only implements court decisions when they are against the Kurdistan Region’s interests.”

While it remains unclear how Baghdad will respond following the State Administration Coalition meeting, a KRG spokesperson hinted at the possibility of Kurdish blocs withdrawing from the federal government in protest over the salary crisis. However, achieving a unified Kurdish stance on such a significant decision remains uncertain due to internal disagreements among Kurdish parties.