Ziad Atallah: Armenian- Lebanese political ties nearly perfectNovember 22, 2011 - 10:19 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Lebanon and Armenia have been long-time friends; since the unfortunate events of early 20th century, the Lebanese of Armenian descent are highly involved in cultural, political, social and economic life of the country, Lebanese charge d'affaires a.i. to Armenia Ziad Atallah stated in a conversation with a PanARMENIAN.Net reporter. On November 22, Lebanon is celebrating the 68th anniversary of independence, with the country having greatly contributed to salvation of Armenian Genocide survivors. Lebanon’s unique governmental structure allowed Armenians’ active involvement in the social and political life of the country. Lebanon’s becoming the first democratic state in Middle East promoted the country’s cosmopolitan governmental structure, freedom of speech, media and religion. “We have 6 Armenian MPs, 2 ministers, one is minister of industry. This is a part that can’t be removed from Lebanon’s reality,” the diplomat stressed to point out close ties between the two countries. Mr. Atallah assessed Armenian President’s oncoming visit to Lebanon in early December and agreements to be signed as a big push for bilateral cooperation. “Armenian-Lebanese relations are nearly perfect politically; we don’t have any pending issues or problems. However, the economic relations are far below expected. This is where we should work very hard by encouraging Lebanese businessmen to invest in Armenia and vice-versa,” the charge d'affaires stressed, noting sectors of IT, agriculture, trade, business, educational programs and cultural exchange as promising. Top stories Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan took to social media to thank his Lithuanian counterpart for the contribution. President of the Armenian parliament Alen Simonyan met with the Speaker of the Azerbaijani Milli Majlis Sahiba Gafarova. Achieving stable peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan remains a priority of the OSCE, said Ian Borg. The Cabinet of Ministers decided on Thursday, November 9 to allocated AMD 120 million to arrange the gathering. Partner news | Concept to complete Yerevan Cascade discussed at city hall A conceptual proposal to complete the Cascade complex in downtown Yerevan has been presented by Jean-Michel Wilmotte. Pashinyan visits flood-hit region Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan on Saturday, June 8 visited the disaster area in the Lori province. U.S. Assistant Secretary of State to travel to Armenia Assistant Secretary for European and Eurasian Affairs James C. O’Brien will travel to Yerevan on June 10-12. Power of One Dram to benefit Road of Life, Strong Mind IDBank and Idram summarize the results of the May program of “The Power of One Dram”. |