The Minister of Economy and Trade, Amer Bsat, and the President of the Economic and Social Council, Charles Arbid, after their meeting with the head of state in Baabda, on October 7, 2025. Photo posted on the X account of the Lebanese presidency.
Minister of Economy and Trade Amer Bisat and Economic and Social Council President Charles Arbid both visited Baabda to discuss with President Joseph Aoun, the "Beirut One" conference, which the minister plans to launch on Nov. 18 and 19 in the capital to attract diaspora investment.
"The conference targets the Lebanese private sector, the diaspora, as well as Arab and foreign investors, and is held under the patronage of President Aoun, who attaches great importance to this national economic event," the minister said after the meeting.
He also indicated that several "clear indicators show an improvement in the economic situation, and we are aiming for a promising year for the Lebanese economy."
The minister recently said he was counting on 5 percent GDP growth for Lebanon, in line with the previous World Bank projection, although this is expected to be revised by December. Other indicators, such as the PMI, confirm this trend, which should be put into perspective given the country's high inflation rate and the fact that its GDP and currency have literally melted away since the onset of the crisis that erupted in 2019.
Amer Bsat has been preparing this conference for several weeks and had planned to have the project approved by the Cabinet. When contacted, the Ministry's press office had not yet responded to our request for further details on this point.
