NNA – President of the Republic, General Michel Aoun, represented by Minister of Tourism Walid Nassar, patronized today a celebration at “Beit Al Shabiba” in Bkassine, on the occasion of selecting the town as the best touristic village, in an initiative launched by the United Nations World Tourism Organization, at the invitation of the Ministry of Tourism and the Bkassine Municipality.

The ceremony was attended by Social Affairs Minister Hector El-Hajjar, Justice Minister Henry El-Khoury, MP’s Oussama Saad, Ibrahim Azar, Ziad Aswad and Salim Khoury, and several other senior officials and prominent dignitaries and mayors from the region.

US Ambassador Dorothy Shea and Turkish Ambassador Ali Barış Ulusoy were also present at the event.

In his delivered word on behalf of the President, Tourism Minister Nassar said: “I convey the greetings of President General Michel Aoun, who honored me by representing him in this celebration...Lebanon benefits from being a member of the Council of Europe in terms of marketing and promotion.”

Referring to the expected visit by Pope Francis to Lebanon upcoming June, Nassar said that “this is the fourth historic visit of the Pope of Rome to Lebanon in a hundred years, whereby Pope Francis will visit us between June 12 and 13, and Prime Minister Najib Mikati, President Michel Aoun, and the government have assigned me to chair the organizing committee in preparation for this visit, which has moral and spiritual dimensions."

He added: "The doors of the Ministry of Tourism are open to receive the largest number of those who wish to participate in organizing this visit.”

Touching on the economic situation, Nassar believed that "the transition from a rentier to a producing economy passes through a national strategy."

He also referred to the initiative of establishing the “sovereign fund”, which will be financed by businessmen to support the inauguration of 117 guest houses across Lebanon.

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