October 7, 2026
Beirut – Baabda
The President of the Republic, General Joseph Aoun, affirmed that attempts to politicize the economic situation and exaggerate it to achieve political goals “cannot be allowed,” warning against exploiting the dollar exchange rate file to promote scenarios similar to the 2019 crisis for the purpose of creating confusion and underestimating the importance of the path of recovery. During a series of political, security, diplomatic and cultural meetings at Baabda Palace, Aoun stressed that the path of combating corruption, the shift towards digital government, and developing the performance of official administrations continues without stopping, calling for concerted efforts to confront economic challenges in light of regional developments and their effects on the oil sector, and stressing the complementarity between the measures taken by the Bank of Lebanon and the Ministry of Finance to protect monetary stability, while acknowledging that addressing decades of mismanagement requires time.
Regarding government matters, the President of the Republic met with the Minister of Energy and Water, Joe Al-Saddi, who presented the reasons that prompted him to announce his retirement from attending Council of Ministers sessions, while confirming that he will continue to bear his ministerial responsibilities and look forward to addressing his concerns.
At the level of municipal and political work, Aoun considered that municipalities represent a basic pillar of state assistance and require gaining the confidence of citizens, pointing out that parties constitute a rich source of political life provided that they are not an obstacle to state authority. In this context, he received a delegation from the Union of Municipalities of the Batroun Region, headed by Roger Yazbek, where the development needs of the region were discussed, including the rehabilitation of roads and the fishermen’s port, the file of soil companies, and the establishment of a waste treatment plant. Aoun announced that communications to conduct the apple season resulted in Iraqi readiness to open markets, and a response from the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the CMA-CGM Group, Rudolph Saadeh, to reduce the cost of transportation and support exports by one million dollars, in addition to positive efforts with Libya and Jordan.
Within the framework of presidential diplomacy, General Aoun received a written message from the President of the UAE, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, conveyed by the Emirati Ambassador Fahd Salem Saeed Al Kaabi, which included an official invitation to participate in the opening of the “Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week”, and to honor the winners of the “Zayed Sustainability Prize”, in addition to attending the summit and giving a speech on January 12 and 13, 2027.
In addition, the President of the Republic received Representative Salim Al-Sayegh and discussed with him vital issues, such as waste, support for apple growers, and the security situation. Al-Sayegh stressed the necessity of providing a nurturing environment for the Lebanese army to enable it to perform its duties. He also met with a delegation from the company “SACEM – France”, which specializes in protecting the rights of authors, composers and music publishers, stressing the state’s keenness to preserve intellectual property and literary and artistic rights.
