President Michel Aoun stressed Lebanon’s right to extract oil and gas within its special economic zone, reiterating Lebanon’s refusal to join any forum or cooperation mechanism in which Israel participates.
During a meeting with Greek President, Aoun tackled the issue of the refugees, informing his counterpart about the burdens imposed on Lebanon as a result of the presence of 1.8 million refugees, in addition to the Palestinian refugees.
In this regard, Aoun said that this issue requires a joint responsibility based on quick work to put an end to this crisis by facilitating the return of the refugees to safe regions in Syria.
Aoun thanked the Greek president for his country’s support for Lebanon and its attendance at Cedre conference as well as its participation within the UNIFIL’s marine unit, reiterating Lebanon’s support for Greece at regional and international conferences.
He also noted that he is looking forward to the summit between Lebanon, Greece and Cyprus, hosted by the Cypriot capital in a bid to consolidate the various aspects of cooperation.
For his part, the Greek President expressed gratitude for Lebanon over the issue of the refugees, explaining that Europe has not been prepared since the outbreak of the Syrian crisis.
“You have assumed a great responsibility when the Syrian war began and we are grateful for what the Lebanese people has done in this regard,” he said.