Lebanese Foreign Ministry's Announcement on Saudi Arabia's Ban on Fruit Imports

The Lebanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Emigrants announced that it was informed this afternoon by the Saudi embassy about the Saudi decision to prohibit the entry of vegetables and fruits from Lebanon into its territory. Minister of Foreign Affairs in the caretaker government, Charbel Wahbe, communicated the matter to senior officials. The ministry confirmed that "drug smuggling in containers or trucks loaded with fruits and vegetables from Lebanon to abroad is punishable under Lebanese law, and that drug smuggling and trafficking harm the economy, Lebanese farmers, and Lebanon's reputation." The ministry called on "Lebanese authorities to exert utmost efforts to curb all smuggling operations by intensifying the activities of security and customs agencies at border crossings, in light of Lebanese laws that criminalize drug trafficking, smuggling, and use, to combat this menace and prevent harm to innocent citizens, farmers, industrialists, and the Lebanese economy."