BEIRUT: German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier met with Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri in Beirut on Tuesday, where they discussed Berlin’s participation in upcoming international conferences aimed at shoring up Lebanon’s security forces and boosting its economy.
The prime minister’s office said Steinmeier also met with Christian and Muslim spiritual leaders in Lebanon on the second day of his visit to the tiny Mediterranean country, which has been struggling with the fallout from the civil war in neighboring Syria.
Lebanon, which hosts around a million Syrian refugees, is gearing up for three international conferences to be held in the coming months to bolster its economy and support its army and security forces.
Steinmeier, who arrived in Lebanon Monday from neighboring Jordan, also met Tuesday with German troops who serve as part of a United Nations force. The meeting was held on board a German vessel at the port of Beirut, where he was met by the commander of the German troops in Lebanon.
Germany has 126 soldiers contributing to the UNIFIL mission in Lebanon, including the Maritime Task Force, deployed since October 2006, which supports the Lebanese navy in securing the country’s maritime borders.
German president discusses support for Lebanon during visit
German president discusses support for Lebanon during visit
Bridge over Euphrates reconnects Syrian villages in Deir Ezzor
- Temporary crossing will aid movement for people of Marat, al-Mari’iyah
- Many bridges were destroyed during Syria’s civil war
LONDON: Syria’s Defense Ministry has opened a temporary bridge over the Euphrates River to ease people’s movement and reconnect villages in eastern Deir Ezzor.
The Syrian army took control of the region from the Syrian Democratic Forces earlier this month.
Deir Ezzor Gov. Ghassan al-Sayyed Ahmad and Brig. Gen. Ahmad Mohammad al-Jassem, commander of the army’s 66th Division, supervised the opening of the bridge, which links Marat and al-Mari’iyah.
Bridges along the Euphrates in eastern Syrian Arab Republic are vital for connecting communities. During the civil war, many were destroyed by militias, forcing residents to rely on boats to cross the river.
Officials said the project was part of broader initiatives to restore infrastructure and improve living conditions in regions affected by years of conflict, the Syrian Arab News Agency reported.
On Monday, Syrian authorities reopened Al-Mansour Bridge in Raqqa after completing rehabilitation work. About 60 bridges were destroyed between 2014 and 2017, when the city was under the control of Daesh, which regarded it as its capital.
