Ministers Fadi Abboud&Salim Wardeh held a joint meeting after their return from Australia – English

Tourism Minister Fadi Abboud and Culture Minister Salim Wardeh held a joint meeting ‎on Wednesday after their return 

The visit was a result of an invitation the ministers received from the World Lebanese ‎Cultural Union (WLCU) asking them to join in unveiling the statue of the Lebanese ‎Migrant in Brisbane. ‎

The statue is the third of its kind after one that was erected in Mexico and another near ‎the Beirut Port. ‎

The ministers participated in the ceremony but also met with several Australian political ‎figures, some of Lebanese origins.‎

‎“We exchanged opinions and discussed ways to reinforce ties between Lebanon and ‎Australia,” said Wardeh. ‎
He mentioned a project to hold a Lebanese cultural week in Australia next year and a ‎study to examine the possibility of building a railway in Lebanon, with the help of ‎Australia, in a bid to solve road traffic problems. ‎

For his part, Abboud stressed the importance of the visit, saying it put aside political ‎differences and focused on bringing the Diaspora together. ‎
He explained that about 400,000 Lebanese were living in Australia and half of them ‎emigrated during the past few years.‎
‎“There is a little Lebanon in Australia … it’s there in all its colors and groups and sects,” ‎the tourism minister said. ‎
Abboud added that he discussed with his Australian counterpart the possibility of ‎providing Middle East Airlines flights to and from Australia because over 25,000 ‎Australians visited Lebanon, according to Australian statistics. ‎
He also expressed optimism for the summer tourist season, saying he expected an ‎increase of 20 percent for the sector. ‎

When asked about talks of demolishing some of Beirut’s traditional houses, Abboud ‎replied that a law protected traditional buildings and that the Cabinet held a list of more ‎than 260 buildings that were not allowed to be destroyed. ‎

The buildings included the house of famous Lebanese singer Feiruz and that of ‎Lebanon’s first post-independence President Bechara al-Khoury.‎