Lebanon confirms Prime Minister Mikati's visit to Turkiye early next month

Bilateral cooperation in energy, health, tourism, education with Turkish officials to be discussed, says Lebanese ministers

2022-01-18 10:45:32

BEIRUT

Lebanon on Tuesday confirmed Prime Minister Najib Mikati's visit to Turkiye early next month.

Lebanese Foreign Minister Abdallah Buhabib and Energy and Water Minister Walid Feyyad held a joint press conference after a meeting with Mikati in the capital Beirut to “determine the delegation” for the visit.

Buhabib spoke on the important issues that would be covered during the visit, saying: "We talked with our Turkish friends the details of issues such as tourism, energy, health, agriculture and education that will be discussed."

When asked what the highlights of the bilateral meeting would be, Buhabib responded: "Solar energy, investment in the oil sector, exports of Lebanese products, and tourism cooperation between the two countries are on top of the agenda."

Feyyad stressed that it was decided to hold talks with Turkiye on issues that benefit both sides, such as energy and electricity supply.

Regarding Turkiye's prospective energy investments in Lebanon, Feyyad said: “Taking advantage of Turkiye's experience, we will focus on the investment potential of Turks in the energy sector, such as solar and wind energy and natural gas electricity generation.”

“The investment in solar energy is not very big, it ranges from $50 million to $350 million. It is something that can pave the way for investment cooperation in Turkiye's energy sector," he asserted.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu had conveyed President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's message to Mikati, inviting him to Turkiye to explore bilateral cooperation during his visit to Beirut on Nov. 16, last year.

Mikati will visit Turkiye for the first time since taking office on Sept. 10, 2021.

* Writing by Merve Berker