Intergovernmental agreement reached following the Lebanon-UAE Economic Forum in Beirut

BEIRUT — The visit of the Emirati delegation to Lebanon concluded Thursday with the signing of an intergovernmental memorandum of understanding, crowning two days of meetings focused on Abu Dhabi’s investments in Lebanon.

Led by the Emirati minister of state for foreign trade, Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, this mission was the largest of its kind in years after a cooling of bilateral relations. Organized in collaboration with the Economic Bodies chaired by former minister Mohammad Choucair, it began Wednesday with the opening of the Lebanon-UAE Economic Forum, where five agreements were initialed.

On Thursday morning, Minister Zeyoudi was received at the presidential palace in Baabda by the head of state, Joseph Aoun, in the presence of Economy Minister Amer Bisat, Information Technology and Artificial Intelligence minister and Displacement Minister Kamal Shehadi, Mohammad Choucair, and the ambassadors of both countries.

Before President Aoun, the Emirati official referenced the figure of $4.2 billion in non-oil trade expected in 2025 between Beirut and Abu Dhabi, placing it among the highest levels in the past fifteen years. He emphasized the importance of launching work on a comprehensive economic partnership agreement intended to provide a broader framework for bilateral relations, echoing the proposal made the previous day by Bisat, who had called to “explore a specific economic partnership framework between Lebanon and the Emirates.”

Aoun took the opportunity to promote Lebanon, highlighting its human capital, private sector, geographical location, and Lebanese expertise abroad. “Security and investment go hand in hand, but as long as there is will and genuine intent, challenges will not be an obstacle,” he said, thanking Abu Dhabi for its support.

Later on Thursday, at the economy ministry headquarters, Zeyoudi and Bisat signed an intergovernmental memorandum of understanding on trade and investment — the first document from this visit to directly engage the two governments. The previous five were related to the creation of the Lebanon-UAE Joint Business Council and involved agreements between chambers of commerce and private companies of both countries.

According to the official statement, the Emirati minister, who was also received by speaker of parliament Nabih Berri, described the visit as successful and discussed forthcoming support for sectors deemed priorities, including energy, technology and logistical services. However, no amount or implementation timeline was made public.

The visit comes after several years of strained relations between Beirut and several Gulf countries. The Emirates had banned their citizens from traveling to Lebanon in August 2023. The rapprochement accelerated after Aoun’s election as president in January 2025. During his visit to the Emirates in April – May of the same year, Abu Dhabi had announced the lifting of the travel ban on its nationals.