President Michel Aoun confirmed that "the achievement of the maritime border demarcation agreement with Israel after the indirect negotiations will enable Lebanon to extract oil and gas, thus pulling it out of the abyss it has been in due to years of unchanging governance and the waste that has plagued public institutions and administrations."
He indicated that "the demarcation agreement is a gift to the Lebanese people of all segments," announcing that the process of repatriating Syrian displaced persons will begin next week in batches.
President Aoun's statements came during his reception of a delegation from the Syndicate of Optical Professions led by head Nasreen Al-Ashqar, with advisor Rafiq Shalala present. At the start of the meeting, Al-Ashqar delivered the following speech: "I address you today on behalf of the Syndicate of Optical Professions in Lebanon to express our gratitude for your continuous support and backing for our syndicate, support we have witnessed throughout your term."
"We have not approached you once, Mr. President, without you being the one with an open heart and attentive ears to our requests. You have given your recommendations several times to expedite the implementation of the application decrees for Law No. 121/2019 issued by the Parliament aimed at regulating the profession of vision measurement and manufacturing optical devices in Lebanon. We also thank you for the communications you have made to support us in expediting the issuance of the financial stamp and its implementation."
"Mr. President, we are not those who drink from the well and throw stones into it. Rather, we are grateful to you for your love and support, hoping that our beloved Lebanon will emerge from this dark tunnel and the dismal economic situation that has become a heavy burden on the Lebanese citizen. We rely on our people's will and steadfastness in facing challenges and crises, and we ask God to have mercy on us so that this nation can rise again, and hold accountable all those who have wrongfully taken our funds and the livelihoods of our children. The Lebanese people have been, Mr. President, and will remain great, as we have known them, and the great people of Lebanon will not back down from demanding their rights, all believing that no right dies with a claimant."
Al-Ashqar added: "We will demand, confront, hold accountable, and remain, as you know us, Mr. President, a free, sovereign, independent, and proud people despite all circumstances. We have no doubt about your loyalty to this nation. We have grown under the presence of a leader who has taught us patriotism."
In conclusion, Al-Ashqar thanked President Aoun and congratulated him on the achievement of the demarcation agreement, affirming that "it will be for the benefit of all Lebanese, as you have always sought."
President Aoun welcomed the delegation, stating: "We are here to secure the rights of the people, whether in legislation, finance, or through all essential and necessary matters for public interest."
The President noted that "the situation in Lebanon has regressed significantly, after the country fell into an abyss that did not occur by chance, but as a result of actions and behaviors that led it to its current state," emphasizing that "the assistance provided to Lebanon through Paris 1, Paris 2, and Paris 3 has not been effective, primarily due to the failure to change the way governance operates and the waste that has characterized the work of institutions and administrations."
He addressed the importance of the agreement achieved in the southern maritime border demarcation file after the indirect negotiations with Israel, affirming that "it will enable Lebanon to extract oil and gas, which will lift Lebanon out of the abyss it has fallen into. However, there remains the need for an applied mechanism to hold accountable those responsible for the theft of public funds, whose responsibility has been uncovered through judicial investigations."
President Aoun noted that "the completion of the demarcation agreement is a gift to the Lebanese people from all its segments, from its children to its elders," also mentioning that "starting from the end of next week, we will witness the beginning of the return of Syrians to their country in batches, which is a significant issue for us."
