Ukraine is ready to deepen Ukrainian-Lebanese ties through political and economic cooperation, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha said after his visit to Lebanon.

“As part of my Middle East trip, I visited Lebanon. In Beirut, I met with government officials, political, business, and religious leaders, as well as members of the Ukrainian community. We are ready to deepen Ukrainian-Lebanese ties through political and economic cooperation,” Sybiha said on X.

According to the website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, Sybiha visited the Lebanese Republic together with Minister of Agrarian Policy and Food Vitaliy Koval.

The Minister held a separate meeting with the Maronite Patriarch of Antioch, head of the Maronite Church Beсhara Boutros Rai. The Foreign Minister spoke about the difficult situation in Ukraine and the constant Russian shelling, and expressed gratitude to the Patriarch for his constant attention to the Ukrainian people and prayer for the restoration of a just peace.

Sybiha also held talks with head of the Christian party Lebanese Forces, Dr. Samir Geagea, the main topics of which were the joint opposition to the Russian and Iranian regimes seeking to destroy stability in Europe and the Middle East.

The key topics of the talks with the Lebanese Minister of Telecommunications were cybersecurity and the experience of digitalization. The parties agreed to develop partnership in these areas.

The foreign minister held a separate meeting with the Ukrainian society. He expressed gratitude to the Ukrainians of Lebanon for preserving the Ukrainian identity and culture, defending the positions of our state, and their proactive and strong voice.

The minister supported the initiative of the society to establish a Ukrainian cultural center in Lebanon and gave relevant instructions for its early launch.

As reported, on December 30, a Ukrainian delegation headed by Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha arrived in Damascus on an official visit. Sybiha met with the head of the new Syrian administration and the leader of the Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham movement Ahmed al-Sharaa (Abu Mohammad al-Julani).