Containers on a Lebanese shore. (Credit: PHB)
BEIRUT — In the last decade, Lebanon has managed, despite geopolitical and economic turmoil, to achieve a trade surplus with six Arab countries — where the value of exports exceeded the cost of imports. However, Lebanon’s trade relationships with the remaining 12 Arab countries were marked by a deficit, with imports that well exceeded exports.The latest data compiled by The Directory of Exports and Industrial Firms in Lebanon (DEIF), based on numbers retrieved from the Lebanese Customs Administration, uncover a nuanced narrative of regional trade relations between 2014 and 2023.While Syria topped the list of importers (from Lebanon), Iraq emerged as Lebanon’s most profitable trade partner, with Lebanon recording a trade surplus of over $1.627 billion. This surplus indicates that Lebanon’s exports to Iraq ($1.676 B) exceeded its imports...
BEIRUT — In the last decade, Lebanon has managed, despite geopolitical and economic turmoil, to achieve a trade surplus with six Arab countries — where the value of exports exceeded the cost of imports. However, Lebanon’s trade relationships with the remaining 12 Arab countries were marked by a deficit, with imports that well exceeded exports.The latest data compiled by The Directory of Exports and Industrial Firms in Lebanon (DEIF), based on numbers retrieved from the Lebanese Customs Administration, uncover a nuanced narrative of regional trade relations between 2014 and 2023.While Syria topped the list of importers (from Lebanon), Iraq emerged as Lebanon’s most profitable trade partner, with Lebanon recording a trade surplus of over $1.627 billion. This surplus indicates that Lebanon’s exports to Iraq ($1.676 B) exceeded its...