Qatar has pledged summer energy support for Lebanon and is exploring long-term cooperation on power infrastructure, following high-level talks in Doha.
Qatar will support Lebanon’s power supply during the summer and explore broader efforts to bolster the country’s struggling energy infrastructure, Qatar’s Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, announced on Tuesday.
The remarks came during a joint press conference with Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam at the Amiri Diwan in Doha, following high-level meetings between officials from both countries.
“We addressed the urgent need to provide energy to our brothers in Lebanon during the summer season. God willing, this matter will be discussed with the Qatar Fund for Development and QatarEnergy to provide whatever support is possible,” Sheikh Mohammed, who is also Qatar’s foreign minister, told the press.
Prime Minister Salam arrived in Qatar early Tuesday, after his flight was temporarily rerouted to Bahrain due to the closure of Qatari airspace in response to Iran’s missile strike on the U.S. Al Udeid Air Base.
Salam was joined by Lebanon’s Minister of Energy and Water, Joe Saddi, who held talks with Qatar’s Minister of State for Energy Affairs, Saad bin Sherida Al Kaabi. The delegation also met Qatar’s Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani shortly before the press conference.
“We agreed to continue consultations with the aim of reaching an executive understanding regarding Qatar’s contribution to Lebanon’s energy needs, whether through the construction of a power plant or the supply of natural gas,” Salam said.
“We also hope to see renewed visits from our Qatari brothers to Lebanon this summer, and we look forward to a promising tourist season,” he added.
Salam’s visit follows Lebanese President Joseph Aoun’s official trip to Doha in April, his first since assuming office in January. At the time, Sheikh Tamim reiterated Qatar’s readiness to support Lebanon “with all that it needs in the fields of electricity, energy, and any other sector, in addition to continuing to support the army”.
Qatar’s prime minister had also visited Lebanon in February, expressing the Gulf state’s commitment to Lebanon’s post-war reconstruction following Israeli aggression.
Doha has long played a leading role in backing Lebanon during periods of crisis, from the 2006 Israeli war and the 2020 Beirut Port explosion to the country’s ongoing economic collapse and the latest Israeli military escalation.
Qatar’s reconstruction efforts have been widely recognised by the Lebanese public, with banners bearing the phrase “Shukran Qatar”, Arabic for “Thank you, Qatar”, seen across the country.
Qatar has also consistently supported the Lebanese Army and broader state institutions as part of its efforts to help stabilise Lebanon amid worsening economic conditions.
“We were proud to be the first delegation to land in Doha after the aggression, and we renew our support to Qatar against any form of attack,” Salam told the press in Doha.
“We also thank Qatar for its continued support to Lebanon, politically, economically, and in particular, through its sustained support to the Lebanese Army and various development projects,” he added.
