President Michel Aoun on Thursday confirmed that Lebanon was keen on reinforcing Lebanese-Iraqi relations in all fields.

The President had received Iraqi Minister of Health, Alaa Alwan, this morning at Beiteddine Palace, and said that he welcomed the existing cooperation between the two countries in the hospitalization and health fields,. Aoun alsolauded the ongoing coordination in what concerns profiting from Lebanese scientific and medical expertise to help advance the Iraqi health sector, which has suffered the ramifications of the turmoil that has been rocking Iraq within the past years."

During the meeting attended by Minister of Health, Jamil Jabak, President Aoun highlighted the advancement incurred within the drug manufacturing business in Lebanon, as well as the academic scientific progress in terms of health and medicine. He confirmed the return of Lebanese medical personnel to spotlight in this field.

President Aoun told the Iraqi minister to deliver his regards to the Iraqi President, Barham Saleh, and his wishes of success to him. As for the Iraqi people, he wished them security, stability, and prosperity.

After the meeting, Minister Alwan made a declaration in a press conference: "We were honored today to meet his Excellency the President during our visit to the Lebanese Republic. It is of utter joy to us that he will provide his ultimate support for boosting cooperation between Iraq and Lebanon in the field of health. We had a quick word on the prospects of cooperation, especially in terms of rebuilding the Iraqi health sector and strengthening cooperation in all fields between the Lebanese and Iraqi health sectors. His Excellency has expressed full support of this cooperation, not only health wise." 

The Iraqi Health Minister went on to relay the President's desire to reinforce cooperation and joint work with all Iraqi sectors.

"We are speaking of implementing the memorandum of understanding between Iraq and Lebanon. God willing, at the end of this visit, we will have established an execution plan to start the soonest possible," he added.

For his part, Minister Jabak said, "We have given the President an insight into all the items of the memorandum of understanding agreed on with the Iraqi State. We will begin implementing this memorandum for the sake of Lebanon and Iraq's benefit. I would like to announce that we established a hotline, to be reached at 1214, to solve any problem that might be faced by the Iraqi brothers staying in Lebanon to be hospitalized and treated,"

"We will work on crystallizing what was included in the memorandum that we established with the Iraqi State so that we get results the soonest possible in terms of drug manufacturing and exporting to Iraq, as well as exporting professional and medical personnel. We want to help our brotherly country Iraq with all the potential Lebanon has," he added.

Later during the day, President Aoun received the political consultant of Prime Minister Saad Hariri, former Minister Ghattas Khoury, maintaining that "this stay has left a positive effect in what concerns reinforcing reconciliation and the existing brotherly relations in Mount Lebanon region." 

President Aoun also held with Minister Khoury a tour d'horizon on the current political situation, and about the means to confront the most recent developments, these being the Israeli aggression on Beirut's southern suburb. 

On another level, the President of the Republic will head a cabinet session at Beiteddine Palace, with an agenda comprising of 40 items.