Launch of Lebanese-Syrian Business Council in Beirut

BEIRUT — The president of the Beirut and Mount Lebanon Chamber of Commerce, Industry, and Agriculture, Mohammad Choucair, announced Tuesday the launch of the Lebanese-Syrian Business Council during a meeting held in Beirut, in the presence of the Minister of Economy and Trade Amer Bisat.

Choucair said this initiative represented "an extremely important step" paving the way for "a new phase of fruitful cooperation and effective partnership" between the private sectors of the two countries. He stressed that the stabilization of Syria and reconstruction efforts in Lebanon could create new opportunities in investment, trade and economic integration.

For his part, Bisat recalled that Prime Minister Nawaf Salam's visit to Syria in mid-May had marked "a founding milestone" in the development of bilateral relations. He called for the creation of a joint ministerial body tasked with "institutionalizing" relations between Beirut and Damascus. The minister specified that a working group led by Deputy Prime Minister Tarek Mitri was working on several issues, including customs, transit, the opening of new border crossing points and the visa issue.

It should be noted that Khalil Arab was elected president of the Lebanese-Syrian Business Council.

Lancement du Conseil d’affaires libano-syrien à Beyrouth