Tourism Minister Fadi Abboud and Culture Minister Salim Wardeh held a joint meeting on Wednesday after their return from Australia to discuss the situation of the Lebanese Diaspora.
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.