Abdallah Bou Habib took the reins of the Foreign Affairs Ministry from outgoing acting Foreign Minister Zeina Akar on Tuesday. (Credit: Dalati & Nohra)
BEIRUT — The Foreign Affairs Ministry announced on Wednesday that it had begun implementing a series of measures to bolster the revenues of consulates and embassies abroad and reduce their expenditures as part of a statewide effort to balance the Lebanese government’s books.
Here’s what we know:
• In a statement, the Foreign Affairs Ministry said the measures, once put in place, will boost annual consular revenues by $7 million, or about 50 percent.
• In parallel, the ministry said it will ration expenditures by Lebanese diplomats abroad, especially by reducing rental costs of embassies and ambassadors’ residences, “given the current economic conditions facing the country, and within the framework of a comprehensive plan to rationalize public spending.”
• In a handover ceremony yesterday, Abdallah Bou Habib took the reins of the Foreign Affairs Ministry from outgoing acting Foreign Minister Zeina Akar.