Loyal patriots in Lebanon, regardless of their positions, should stand together and distance their homeland from disputes and regional conflicts, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi told an international online conference held on Sunday to discuss aid for Lebanon. Sisi called for concentrating efforts on strengthening Lebanon's state institutions, according to a presidential statement released following the conference. He urged implementing economic reforms, which he described as inevitable, in order to gain the trust of international financial institutions and global support, which would help Lebanon achieve stability and development. The conference was co-hosted by the United Nations and French President Emmanuel Macron, and attended by many world leaders including US President Donald Trump, with the aim of bringing donors together to support the Lebanese people after a massive blast devastated parts of their capital on Tuesday. The explosion killed more than 150 people, including three Egyptians, and left thousands of others injured and homeless. Many Lebanese took to the streets while others stormed government ministries in protest of what they described as the incompetence and corruption of the political elite. Lebanese officials said the explosion was caused by 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate stored in a warehouse at the port for six years after being confiscated from a ship. Countries around the world have rallied to offer support to Lebanon, providing aid packages, rescue and medical teams and humanitarian aid. The Egyptian president expressed his appreciation for the French president's initiative in holding the conference, calling upon the international community to exert all possible efforts to assist Beirut to get up anew, overcome the blast's consequences, and reconstruct what was destroyed. Egypt has taken several steps to provide assistance to Lebanon, including opening an air bridge of medical supplies and other aid to support the country. An Egyptian field hospital in Beirut is also providing aid to victims of the blast. "Egypt is ready to provide more medical and relief aid in this respect and to harness its capabilities to help the brothers in Lebanon in the efforts to reconstruct the affected areas," Sisi said at the conference.
