The Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Hon. Emanuela Del Re, visited Beirut today. The Deputy Minister had meetings with Italian and Lebanese NGOs, with Lebanese Foreign Minister, Charbel Wehbe, and with the UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Lebanon, Najat Rochdi. The meetings were an occasion to take stock of the initiatives implemented by Italy, and in particular by the Italian Cooperation for Development, in response to the humanitarian emergency linked to the explosions in the Port of Beirut on 4 August, and to outline, based on the needs on the ground, the strategy for facing the early recovery phase. The Italian Deputy Minister also visited the Italian military field hospital set up at the Lebanese University by the Italian Defense as part of the “Emergenza CEDRI” operation and some homes repaired as part of the AVSI Love Beirut project.
During the visit, Deputy Minister Del Re, with the support of the LAF, delivered to the Secretary General of the Lebanese Red Cross, Georges Kettaneh, aid including Covid-19 protection equipment, medicines, and other health and medical assistance material donated by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MAECI) and the Italian Red Cross. The Lebanese Red Cross will handle the distribution to hospitals in Beirut and Tripoli of the material that arrived yesterday to Beirut airport on board of a humanitarian flight.