Beirut: President of the Republic, General Joseph Aoun, presided over a critical ministerial and security meeting at Baabda Palace. The meeting was attended by high-ranking officials including Minister of National Defense, Major General Michel Menassa; Minister of Interior and Municipalities, Brigadier General Ahmad Hajjar; and Minister of Justice, Adel Nassar, among others. The primary focus was on addressing the issue of overcrowding in Lebanese prisons, exacerbated by the rising number of prisoners, including those from Syria. The discussions also revolved around establishing legal frameworks to expedite solutions to this pressing problem.
According to National news agency - Lebanon, President Aoun also held a meeting with Russian Ambassador Alexander Rudakov, who was accompanied by Russian Charg© d'Affaires Maxim Romanov and Ali al-Moussawi from the Russian Embassy. The dialogue covered Lebanese-Russian relations and explored avenues for cooperation across various sectors. Ambassador Rudakov mentioned that President Aoun has been invited by Russian President Vladimir Putin to attend the first Arab-Russian summit in Moscow on October 15, aimed at enhancing joint cooperation.
In a separate gesture, President Aoun extended his condolences to Iraqi President Dr. Abdul Latif Jamal Rashid and Prime Minister Mohammed Shia' Al Sudani following a tragic fire in a shopping mall in Kut, Iraq. He expressed Lebanon's solidarity with Iraq and offered support to help mitigate the disaster's impact.