BEIRUT According to a statement from Lebanon's Presidency, Lebanese President Michel Aoun stated on Monday that the Russia-Ukraine crisis has harmed Lebanon's ability to secure enough wheat, and he urged the UN to provide food aid to his country.
"Wheat warehouses were destroyed in the Beirut port blasts in 2020, and the war in Ukraine has further hampered our access to this commodity," Aoun made the statements during a meeting in Italy with David Beasley, the executive director of the World Food Programme, who stated that despite the increasingly challenging global circumstances, the WFP will continue to support Lebanon.
Aoun also met with Qu Dongyu, the director-general of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), who stated that the FAO will urge member states to quadruple their production of basic food goods in order to deal with the rising global crisis in the aftermath of the Ukraine conflict.
Dongyu promised Aoun that he would continue to work with the Lebanese government to meet Lebanon's demands. On Monday, Aoun arrived in Italy, where he will meet with the Italian president and other officials.
