During a tour led by Minister of Culture Mohamed Wissam Al-Murtada along with the accredited ambassadors of Arab states in Lebanon to the city of Tripoli, designated as the Arab Capital of Culture for 2024, the delegation visited the graves of the Karami family in Bab al-Raml, where they recited Al-Fatiha for the souls of Abdul Hamid Karami, Rashid Karami, and Omar Karami. The ambassadors from the Arab states accredited in Lebanon (Algeria, Tunisia, Egypt, Palestine, Jordan, Syria, Iraq, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman) and the Ambassador of Kazakhstan accepted the Minister of Culture’s invitation to visit Tripoli on the occasion of its announcement as the Arab Capital of Culture for 2024. This visit was described as an "exceptional opportunity for the city, revealing its beauty, the magnificence of its heritage, its important location, its elements, and its capability to play significant roles both in Lebanon and on the Arab, regional, and even global levels," according to the Minister of Culture.
The ambassadors began their visit at the invitation of the Tripoli Chamber of Commerce, Industry, and Agriculture, where they were welcomed by the chamber's president, Tawfiq Debousi, along with other officials and a gathering of local figures including the Minister of Economy and the Mayor of Tripoli, Riyad Yameq, as well as the Qaimmaqam Iman Al-Rafii, the chairman of the National Commission for UNESCO Shawqi Sassin, lawyers Salimah Adib and Lubna Masqawi, engineer Said Hallab, the cultural affairs officer in the Tripoli Municipality Basem Bkhash, Dr. Wissam Al-Naghi, Dr. Basem Zuda, and local creatives Abdul Halim and Omar Karkala. This was an opportunity for the ambassadors to learn about the city’s history and reality through a synchronized explanation alongside a visual presentation provided by engineers Dr. Wissam Al-Naghi and Basem Zuda, along with a documentary film prepared by the chamber that includes a distinctive economic vision for Greater Tripoli, qualified to be "the economic capital of Lebanon and a platform for attracting Lebanese, Arab, and international investments, forming the broadest format for launching partnerships with our Arab brothers," as stated by Debousi.
Al-Murtada emphasized during the meeting that "the most splendid thing in Lebanon is Tripoli, as it is a model for adhering to a common living arrangement that guarantees Lebanon’s continuity, and that political leaders should abandon the policies of marginalizing Tripoli and turning their backs on its inherent elements, as these policies have harmed not only the Tripolitans but have deprived Lebanon and all Lebanese of the greatest opportunities." He added that Tripoli is eager to strengthen relationships, especially culturally, with Arab countries, reiterating his belief that "Lebanon cannot heal from its crises except through Tripoli." Minister of Economy Amin Salam made remarks highlighting the importance of the cultural features that characterize Tripoli and its multifaceted developmental and investment roles at local, Arab, and international levels.
The Minister Al-Murtada and the Arab ambassadors then visited the archaeological sites in the city, starting with the historical Tineal Mosque, followed by a tour of the Tripoli Castle and then a visit to the Rashid Karami International Fair, which is listed as a World Heritage site, and a visit to the Church of Saint George in the port area. The visit concluded with a meeting with the caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati at his residence in Tripoli to discuss public affairs, where he held a banquet in honor of the visitors, attended by the city’s MPs Ashraf Rifi, Taha Naji, Ely Khoury, Haidar Nasser, Jamal Aboud, Abdul Karim Kabara, and Ehab Matar. MP Faisal Karami apologized for his absence due to an emergency matter; present were the Mayor of Tripoli Riyad Yameq, spiritual references from the city, and several social figures, where Mikati praised Minister Al-Murtada's efforts in the city to ensure the success of the event making Tripoli the Arab Capital of Culture and expressed Lebanon's aspiration to build better relations with its Arab brethren.
