Fares Signs Five Cooperation Agreements With Ukraine& Receives the Order of the Prince Yorslav from the President of Ukraine
The Official Reunion
The Talks
Meeting the Prime Minister
Meeting the Arab Diplomatic Corps


Fares Signs Five Cooperation Agreements With Ukraine& Receives the Order of the Prince Yorslav from the President of Ukraine
The fruit of the official visit paid by Deputy Prime Minister Issam Fares with President of the Republic Emile Lahoud and the accompanying delegation was the signature of five cooperation agreements with Lebanon instead of four as previously agreed upon, in an indicative sign of Ukraine’s devotion to promote free exchange with Lebanon, especially that Ukraine is home to nearly 2500 Lebanese emigrants. The visit to Kiev reflected Lebanon’s increasing fervor to show more openness towards the countries of New Europe.



Deputy Prime Minister Issam Fares signed five cooperation agreements with the Ukrainian side that was represented by the Minister of Education and Science Mr. Vasil Kremen, the Minister of Culture, and the Health Minister Dr. Pedayev, the head of the Tourism Higher Council, and the official in charge of customs affairs Kalinsky. Fares exchanged with the Ukrainian signatories agreements in various fields: Science and technology, culture, tourism, health and health sciences, and customs cooperation.





The Official ReunionFares and the Lebanese President had reached Kiev Airport on the head of an accompanying delegation that includes Lebanon’s accredited Ambassador in Kiev Ahmad Ibrahim, the head of the Board of Directors of the National Institute for Administration Dr. Elie Assaf, and the President’s adviser for Foreign Policy Affairs Dr. George Dib. The delegation also included the heads of the Press& Editors Syndicates Mohammad Baalbaki and Melhem Karam. The official welcome ceremony and the official talks were held at Marinsky Palace.


The TalksThe presidential half-an-hour closed-door reunion had taken place in presence of Deputy Prime Minister Issam Fares and the Ukrainian President’s adviser for Foreign Affairs. The reunion was followed by a large round of talks during which took part the members of the Lebanese delegation. For its part, the Ukrainian side was represented by the Deputy Prime Minister, the Minister of Education and Science, the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Alexandr Chami, the Culture Minister, the Health Minister, the head of the National Council for Sovereignty, and the Ukrainian Ambassador to Lebanon.



In the beginning of the talks, President Kuchma warmly welcomed Fares and the Lebanese President and delegation, pointing out that his country attaches great importance to the development of bilateral ties. ‘We have a common will for the Lebanese- Ukrainian meeting to set an example. We have common projects that might see the light in the foreseeable future’.

President Kuchma touched upon the situation in the Middle East, stressing that the Lebanese-Ukrainian vision is common regarding the developments in the region. He remarked that Ukraine believes that stability is a key necessity in the Middle East and that is realizable through practical steps that could constitute the peace roadmap.

Meeting the Prime MinisterFares and the Lebanese President met the Prime Minister of Ukraine Viktor Yanukovych in presence of the members of both delegations. The meeting created the opportunity to expose the bilateral relations and the possible means to swell the volume of commercial exchange, which allows the increase of the Lebanese exports to Ukraine, to increase communications between businessmen and production companies, to establish industrial and commercial forums and exhibitions, and to boost investment.



Talks with the Prime Minister also touched upon facilitating the residence of the Lebanese emigrants and the work of the Lebanese businessmen in Ukraine, and increasing the number of Ukrainian soldiers working on defusing the Israeli mines planted in South Lebanon. The participants also examined the possibility to create a free zone at the Port of Beirut for industries and raw materials and to increase tourism exchange.

Meeting the Arab Diplomatic CorpsIn the afternoon, Fares attended the meeting held by the Lebanese President at his residence with the members of the Arab Diplomatic Corps accredited in Ukraine, in presence of Lebanon’s Ambassador Ahmad Ibrahim, the members of the accompanying delegation, and the heads of the Press and Editors Mohammad Baalbaki and Melhem Karam.

In the beginning, the head of the Arab Diplomatic Corps Algeria’s Ambassador took the floor. Later, President Lahoud emphasized the importance of Arab solidarity at this stage, considering that the unity of Arabs is capable of achieving positive important results in different areas. He also noted that the European example in this field constitutes an example to follow.