Caretaker Minister of Public Health, Hamad Hassan, received his Iraqi counterpart, Hassan Al-Tamimi, at the onset of his visit to Lebanon, with talks touching on the agreements that are being implemented between the two countries and the joint programs that are being prepared for.

The two ministers held a joint press conference in which Hassan warmly welcomed Al-Tamimi, pointing out that the visit “comes under stressful conditions prevailing over the Lebanese scene, epidemiologically, economically and at livelihood level.”

“The Lebanese have gone through many pitfalls and sad stops, but their constant adherence to life and rebirth gives hope to generations, and shows that surrender is not possible despite all circumstances,” Hassan said, praising the support provided by brothers and friends, namely the Iraqi state, especially in the wake of the Beirut port explosion.

Minister Hassan addressed the vaccination campaign, pointing to “the start of positive indicators by recording a decline in the death rate among the targeted groups, which confirms the importance of adhering to the measures and registering for vaccination.”

He hoped “the World Health Organization, Kovacs platform and the companies producing vaccines will be able to fulfill their promises to the countries they classify as third world, so no delay may might occur in the shipments booked by Lebanon early on. Changes to their agenda will be automatically reflected in the vaccination plan drawn up by Lebanon.”

In turn, Minister Al-Tamimi expressed his appreciation for the warm reception, stressing that his visit to Lebanon “comes with directives from the Iraqi prime minister to provide support to Lebanon in the face of the pandemic that has greatly affected the course of life in many countries of the world, including Iraq and Lebanon.”

He stressed that “the Iraqi government is serious about supporting the Lebanese people in all fields.”

Al-Tamimi pointed out that “Iraq went through difficult circumstances after it fought a dramatic war to eliminate the largest terrorist organization that sought to alter the map of the region. The sacrifices of the Iraqi people were the way to salvation from the terrorist entity of ISIS. Then came the pandemic which affected the economic and social life in all countries of the world. After we hoped to obtain the vaccine in order to reduce the effects of the pandemic and the complications of infection with the virus, we unfortunately saw that the amount of vaccines produced does not match the number of people on the globe.”

“We want to support our people in Beirut, and it is imperative that all Arab countries support each other. We have signed agreements and joint programs that we are discussing with Minister Hassan. This will not be the last visit. Rather, the Lebanese Minister of Health will pay us a visit in Baghdad, and we will form a joint working group to follow up on bilateral programs.”

Minister Al-Tamimi hoped “bilateral agreements will generate progress in a way that serves the interests of the two peoples and lessens the economic crisis on our brothers in Lebanon.”