President of the Republic Michel Aoun
President of the Republic, General Michel Aoun, met State Secretaries in the Consulate of the Polish President, Minister Bogna Janke, and Minister Adam Kwiatkowski, today at the Presidential Palace.
The meeting was also attended by Polish Ambassador to Lebanon, Przemyslaw Niesiolowski, and several embassy diplomats, and Professor, Waldemar Cislo.
Relations between Lebanon and Poland, and the ways to address these relations were discussed. The Polish delegation briefed the President on the assistance provided by their country to Lebanon in order to overcome the economic crisis, most notably the immediate food and medical aid after the Beirut Port blast, in addition to the recent approval by the Polish government to send 500,000$ of aid to be distributed in coordination with the Melkite Greek Catholic Church in Lebanon. Poland also provided aid to support Syrian refugees in Lebanon, and participated with Germany in financing the RACE program by 3 million $ for the rehabilitation of 10 public schools.
For his side, the President thanked the Polish delegation for the support, and praised the relations of cooperation and friendship which bind the two countries, noting the sacrifices made by Polish soldiers working within the UNIFIL forces. President Aoun also presented the difficult economic circumstances which Lebanon is facing, and the increasing need for international support to enable Lebanon to overcome the current crisis and begin the stage of recovery.
Moreover, the President pointed to the direct impact of the presence of large numbers of displaced Syrians on our land for nearly ten years, which had very large negative repercussions on the economy, security and social life.
President Aoun also called on Poland to support the Lebanese position and call for encouraging the return of displaced Syrians to their homeland, and to provide them with aid inside Syria.
Finally, the President praised Poland’s achievements in combatting corruption, and noted that Lebanon had signed a memorandum of understanding with Poland to cooperate in the fight against corruption, back in year 2018. President Aoun hoped to benefit from Poland’s experience in this field to support the anti-corruption process it has been waging since assuming its constitutional responsibilities.