Caretaker Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil and Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdel-Mahdi discussed a series of measures that would boost ties between Lebanon and Iraq, a statement from Bassil’s office reported Tuesday.
Bassil, who arrived in Iraq Monday for an official visit, began the second day of his trip with a sit-down with Abdel-Mahdi.
The two expressed a mutual desire to facilitate tourism and investment between both countries, and they agreed that the foreign and economy ministers from Iraq, Lebanon and Jordan should meet.
Bassil and Abdel-Mahdi also discussed the possibility of building pipelines to transfer oil and gas between the countries, and railway lines to transfer sand and goods, the statement said.
The foreign minister also met Tuesday with Iraqi President Barham Salih and invited him to the 2019 Arab Economic and Social Development summit, which will be held in Beirut from Jan. 19-20.
Later Tuesday, images posted on Bassil’s official Twitter account showed the foreign minister meeting the president of the Iraqi Kurdistan region and representatives of the Union of the Chambers of Industry, Trade and Agriculture in the Kurdistan Region.
Monday, Bassil met Iraqi Parliament Speaker Mohammad al-Halbusi and discussed the potential for future trade deals between the two nations, including customs exemptions, free trade and the removal of double taxation.
This article has been adapted from its original source.
