NNA – Caretaker Minister of National Defense, Maurice Sleem, on Tuesday welcomed in Yarzeh Brazilian Ambassador to Lebanon, Tarcisio Costa, who visited him in the company of military attacheacute;, Colonel Emerson Afonso de Azevedo Costa.nbsp;
The meeting reportedly discussed the latest developments, as well as bilateral relations between the two countries.
For his part, Ambassador Costa praised the defense cooperation agreement between Lebanon and Brazil, which quot;will increase coordination between the two armies in the field of training and exchanging expertise,quot; speaking of quot;steps to provide close logistical support to the army.quot;nbsp;
Moreover, Ambassador Costa affirmed that ldquo;Brazil, a non-permanent member of the Security Council, will work to achieve consensus on the decision to be issued to extend UNIFILrsquo;s mandate in South Lebanon, with full respect for Lebanese national sovereignty.quot;nbsp;
In turn, the Minister of Defense quot;highly appreciated the ongoing cooperation between both countries, especially between the two armies, especially Brazil#39;s participation in UNIFIL.rdquo;
Sleem went on to express hope quot;to develop this cooperation for the benefit of both countries.quot;nbsp;
However, Minister Salim reiterated his condemnation of the quot;new Israeli occupation of the northern part of Ghajar after setting up a fence in the same town.rdquo;nbsp;
quot;Ghajar is a Lebanese land, and therefore this is a serious aggression that threatens stability along the southern borders. The international community must endeavor to halt this aggression.quot;nbsp;
The Minister of Defense further stressed that quot;Lebanon is committed to implementing Resolution 1701 in all its provisions.rdquo; He also stressed that quot;the permanent coordination between UNIFIL and the Lebanese Army is a guarantee to avoid any problems in the area of UNIFILrsquo;s operations.rdquo;nbsp;
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