Meetings of Mikati in Saudi Arabia

The caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati held a meeting this morning with Iraqi Prime Minister Mohamed Shiyah Al-Sudani in Riyadh, prior to their participation in the Arab-Chinese summit hosted by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia later today. The meeting included Foreign and Expatriates Minister Abdullah Bou Habib, Finance Minister Youssef Khalil, Industry Minister George Bouchikian, and former Minister and Mikati's advisor Nicolas Nahas. From the Iraqi side, the meeting was attended by Minister of Oil Hayyan Abdul Ghani Abdul Zahra, Minister of Commerce Atheer Abdul Ghani, Economic Advisor to the Prime Minister Kazem Al-Husseini, and Lebanon's Ambassador to the Kingdom Fawzi Kabara. During the meeting, the Prime Ministers of both countries emphasized their commitment to strengthening ties between Lebanon and Iraq and their peoples. It was agreed to hold a meeting soon in Beirut for the Lebanese-Iraqi High Joint Committee during the anticipated visit of the Iraqi Prime Minister. The Iraqi Prime Minister also renewed the pledge for continued cooperation in supplying Lebanon with Iraqi oil as stipulated in previous agreements. Mikati also held a meeting with Algerian Prime Minister Ayman Abdel Rahman, during which they continued discussions on topics that were addressed at the Algiers summit last October. The meeting included members of the Lebanese delegation, while the Algerian side was represented by Minister of Industry Ahmed Zaghdar and Minister of Commerce Kamal Rzik.