(Photo Ministry of Foreign Affairs Handout)
Egyptian Foreign Minister Nabil Fahmy visited multiple delegations in Beirut on Friday to discuss regional cooperation as well as the Syrian crisis, which just entered its fourth year.
Fahmy met with Tammam Salam, the Lebanese prime minister, with whom Fahmy discussed what a foreign ministry press statement referred to as a “dangerous situation” in Syria. Fahmy stressed “the need to reach a political solution that preserves the entity and the unity of the Syrian state” to curb a conflict that has often spilled over into Lebanon’s borders.
The foreign ministry’s spokesperson could not be reached for specifics on cooperation between the two nations.
According to the ministry’s statement, Fahmy added: “Egypt has a clear policy [which] aims to support Lebanon and extend a helping hand” whenever necessary, pledging Egyptian support for Beirut’s newly formed government.
Fahmy also met with Progressive Socialist Party chairman Walid Jumblatt, who again asserted the “need for cooperation between the two countries to support joint Arab action in achieving the goals and aspirations of the Arab citizen” and “to address the challenges facing the peoples of the region”.
Lebanon’s population has been swelling recently as refugees from the ongoing war in Syria search for a new home. The United Nations Refugee Agency predicted that by the end of 2014 there would be 1.5 million Syrian refugees in Lebanon.
Lebanon has also witnessed cross border attacks and rocket strikes, which some hard-line rebel factions view as a response to Hezbollah’s participation in the three year-old conflict.
