Hariri at CEDRE Conference Calls for 'Re-launching' Economic Activity
Prime Minister Saad Hariri stressed from Paris on Friday that Lebanon needs the support of the international community to stave off an economic collapse and revamp economic development that dwindled enormously due to the influx of refugees.
“Lebanon is a tiny country facing enormous challenges. Lebanon's economy has recorded an average annual growth rate of 8 percent in the three years preceding the Syrian crisis. With the war in Syria, and massive displacement of Syrians to Lebanon, this growth has collapsed to an annual rate of 1 percent,” said Hariri at the opening of CEDRE conference from the French capital.
“Until 2015, Lebanon has lost 18 billion dollars in GDP because of the Syrian crisis,” noted Hariri, stressing Lebanon's need of the international community's support to implement the government’s vision and achieve stability.
“This is not just about Lebanon’s stability, it’s about the entire region’s stability; it’s about all of us,” he added.
“Economic activity must be re-launched in Lebanon,” the Premier emphasized, noting that measures taken by the Lebanese government regarding its budget and reforms were “necessary but insufficient.”
“We are here to present an overall vision of my government for stability, growth and job creation,” Hariri concluded.
International donors have pledged billions of dollars in aid and development loans for Lebanon at the conference in Paris on Friday, hoping to stave off an economic and humanitarian crisis.
Source: Naharnet
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