NNA - Caretaker Minister of Agriculture, Abbas Hajj Hassan, met today during his visit to Egypt to preside over the works of the Executive Council of the Arab Organization for Agricultural Development, the Egyptian Minister of Agriculture and Land Reclamation, Mohamed Marzouq Al-Qaseer, in the presence of Lebanon's Ambassador to Egypt Ali Al-Halabi, the Director General of the Arab Organization for Agricultural Development, Ibrahim Al-Dakhiri, the Director-General of the Egyptian Ministry of Agriculture, and the Minister’s advisors.

Talks centered on bilateral relations between the two countries in the agricultural field.

During the meeting, Minister Hajj Hassan referred to the Egyptian tax imposed on Lebanese goods, which amounts to 10%, and the Egyptian minister promised to activate the issue with the relevant ministries in order to find a new mechanism.

Hajj Hassan affirmed "the strength of the historical relationship that links Lebanon with Egypt," noting that "they are not commercial relations, but rather brotherly relations between both brotherly peoples, governments and states."

========R.Sh.