Speaker of the House, Nabih Berri, met this Friday in Ain El-Tineh with German Chancellor Angela Merkel and a delegation of German parliamentarians and officials on a three-day visit to Lebanon, with talks touching on the latest developments on the Lebanese and regional scenes, as well as on means to bolster bilateral relations.
Berri thanked Germany for its participation in the UNIFIL naval force, highlighting “the role played by these forces in the maintenance of peace in Lebanon through the implementation of resolution 1701.”
“Lebanon adheres to its rights and to its territorial and maritime borders,” Berri told his guests, underlining the efforts made in this context to maintain full Lebanese rights.
Speaker Berri also reviewed with Merkel the “dire economic situation in Lebanon as a result of what is happening in Syria and the weight of the Syrian displacement on Lebanon and the Lebanese.”
He pointed to the need to “increase cooperation between the Lebanese and Syrian governments so as to address this issue.”
Thanking Germany for its care for the Lebanese community residing on its territory, the Speaker underlined the importance of this community which “serves as a bridge for cooperation between the two countries.”
Merkel, in turn, underscored “the joint parliamentary cooperation between the two countries, Germany’s contribution to the Cedre I conference, and its support for Lebanon to implement the recommendations of the said conference.”
Source: Al-Manar Website and NNA
