Christodoulides later met with Prime Minister Saad Hariri to discuss energy development among other topics, according to a press release from the premier\u2019s office.<\/p>\n
Also Thursday, President Michel Aoun met with his Greek counterpart Prokopis Pavlopoulos, after the latter arrived for a two-day visit. Aoun said at a news conference after the meeting that Lebanon would continue to refuse to join any forum or cooperation mechanism that includes Israel, including the Eastern Mediterranean Gas Forum.<\/p>\n
The forum had convened six countries and Palestinian representatives in Cairo in January in hopes of, among other things, creating \u201ca regional gas market that serves the interests of its members by ensuring supply and demand, optimizing resource development, rationalizing the cost of infrastructure, offering competitive prices and improving trade relations,\u201d a statement from the Egyptian Petroleum Ministry said at the time.<\/p>\n
Aoun also stressed Lebanon\u2019s right to extract oil and gas present within its exclusive economic zone, part of which lies in waters disputed with Israel.<\/p>\n
Pavlopoulos also thanked Aoun for Lebanon\u2019s efforts in hosting refugees from the Syrian conflict, saying Europe has not been as \u201cpresent as it should [have been] since the beginning of the conflict.\u201d<\/p>\n
Aoun said he had discussed with Pavlopoulos the pressure Lebanon has felt from hosting upward of 1 million Syrian refugees, in addition to the Palestinians already displaced in the country.<\/p>\n
He called for their countries to assume \u201cjoint responsibility\u201d in ensuring the Syrian refugees\u2019 safe return to their homeland.<\/p>\n
Aoun noted the U.S.\u2019 decision to recognize Israeli sovereignty over the occupied Syrian Golan Heights, saying the potential residual effects of the decision could threaten Lebanon\u2019s sovereignty as the Jewish state still occupies the Shebaa Farms, the Kfar Shouba hills and the Ghajar village.<\/p>\n
The Greek president also met with Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, who emphasized the importance of maintaining \u201cspecial relations\u201d between Greece, Cyprus and Lebanon, a statement from Berri\u2019s office said.<\/p>\n
And in a separate meeting Thursday, Pavlopoulos and Hariri discussed ways to enhance bilateral ties, especially in the economic and tourism sectors, a statement from Hariri\u2019s office said.<\/p>\n
Pavlopoulos is scheduled to depart Friday.<\/p>\n
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