Grand Duchess of Luxembourg Maria Teresa met Monday with President Michel Aoun, Speaker Nabih Berri and Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri and discussed the return of Syrian refugees and the significant burdens inflicted on Lebanon due to this issue.
Teresa expressed her appreciation for Lebanon over the humanitarian assistance provided to the refugees on many levels, in particular on the educational and health levels. She also focused on the importance of the economic cooperation between Lebanon and Luxembourg.
According to a statement from the presidency, Aoun requested the Grand Duchess Maria’s support for Lebanon’s securing the refugees’ return and “not waiting for a political solution to the Syrian crisis, especially now that the majority of Syria is safe and stable.”
Aoun also praised Luxembourg’s support for UNRWA, the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees. The president went on to thank the grand duchess for her country’s rejection of the naming of Jerusalem as the Israeli capital and its call for the establishment of a Palestinian state.
According to the statement, Aoun told the duchess that he is working on Lebanon’s stability and security, in addition to economic and administrative reforms. These include, he said, several workshops to be held in order to implement the reforms and recommendations discussed at the CEDRE conference, held in Paris in April to support Lebanon’s infrastructure and economy.
Later in the day, Grand Duchess Maria met with Hariri along with caretaker Culture Minister Ghattas Khoury and Nadim Munla, an adviser to Hariri, a statement from Hariri’s office said. She discussed with them the situation of Syrian refugees and aid provided by UNICEF.
A statement from Berri’s office said the speaker met with the Duchess and the two discussed the refugee crisis and its implications on Lebanon.
The grand duchess is also set to meet officials from UNICEF during her visit.
