Baabda: President of the Republic, Joseph Aoun, on Friday reviewed preparations for the upcoming meeting of the "Mechanism" committee during a meeting before noon at Baabda Palace with former ambassador Simon Karam, head of the Lebanese negotiating delegation. The committee meeting is scheduled for January 17.

According to National News Agency - Lebanon, President Aoun separately received a delegation from TotalEnergies, headed by Julien Pouget, Executive Vice President for Exploration and Production for the Middle East and North Africa. The meeting coincided with the signing earlier today of the petroleum agreement between the Lebanese state and a consortium comprising QatarEnergy, TotalEnergies, and Italy's Eni, related to exploration activities in offshore Block 8.

During the meeting, the delegation briefed President Aoun on the substance of the agreement and the phases following its signing, particularly exploration work, including technical and logistical preparations and the expected timeline for launching seismic studies ahead of assessing the block's petroleum potential.

President Aoun underscored the strategic and economic importance of the file for Lebanon, stressing the need to proceed with implementation within clear timelines, in full compliance with Lebanese laws and applicable standards. He reaffirmed the Lebanese state's readiness to facilitate progress in coordination with the relevant authorities.

Discussions also addressed the Floating Storage and Regasification Unit (FSRU) project. The TotalEnergies delegation indicated that coordination with the Qatari side is ongoing to complete the project's technical aspects, to be followed by a second phase focused on financing mechanisms.

The meeting concluded by emphasizing the importance of continued close coordination between the Lebanese state and the consortium companies to ensure proper implementation of today's agreement and to advance energy-sector projects in line with Lebanon's supreme national interest.

The delegation included Jean Gailly, Vice President for the Middle East and North Africa for extraction and production, and Roman de La Martini¨re, Managing Director.