Najib Mikati, the prime Minister-designate, expressed concern on Friday that Lebanon was celebrating Adha Eid at such a trying time in its history.

In recognition of this anniversary, the Caretaker Prime Minister urged all parties to band together to face the catastrophic situation that now exists by displaying national solidarity and making unceasing efforts to stop the collapse.

“All sides are called forth to preserve, as much as possible, the cohesion and productivity of state institutions and administrations, in parallel with the government’s intensive efforts to put the country back on the path of economic, financial, and social recovery,” Mikati said in a statement.

“The upcoming deadlines require us to expedite proactive steps, the most prominent of which is the formation of a new government, which coincides with the last months of His Excellency President Michel Aoun’s mandate, and the election of a new president for Lebanon,” Mikati added.

“Our resigned government continues its work in order to address the country’s many issues in a spirit of positive cooperation, in parallel with similar cooperation with the House of Parliament in order to approve the state budget bill and several reform projects that constitute an essential step for achieving the final understanding with the International Monetary Fund,” Mikati explained.

“Our government is  being subjected to an unjust and organized campaign with the aim of stopping the basic steps it’s taking to protect the rights of depositors and preserve the banking sector,” Mikati added, stressing that “all these campaigns will not change the fact that it is not our government that has seized the depositors’ money and brought the banking sector to this situation; on the contrary, our government gives priority to protecting the rights of depositors and reaching a clear and scientific solution to return funds to their owners,” asserted Mikati.

The PM concluded his statement by congratulating all the Lebanese and Muslims in Lebanon and the world marking the blessed Adha Eid.