Beirut: Lebanese Minister of Labor, Mohammad Haidar, announced on Friday that Iraq has decided to grant Lebanon 300,000 tons of wheat, to be delivered in successive shipments.

According to National Iraqi News Agency, Haidar described his recent visit to Baghdad as ‘successful,’ noting that it resulted in agreements on several key issues, foremost among them Iraq’s wheat donation and joint oil projects. He explained that discussions with Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani focused on the wheat grant, with Al-Sudani showing great responsiveness and instructing the initiation of required procedures in coordination with Lebanon’s Ministry of Economy. Haidar clarified that the wheat will be delivered in six shipments of 50,000 tons each via sea, citing Lebanon’s limited storage capacity after the destruction of Beirut Port silos in the 2020 explosion.

The Lebanese minister further noted that talks also addressed the project of extending an Iraqi oil pipeline to Tripoli, northern Lebanon. He confirmed that Al-Sudani agreed to establish a joint committee to accelerate its implementation. The project, which requires about one to two years, also entails rehabilitating the Tripoli refinery.

Regarding labor cooperation, Haidar said his meeting with Iraqi counterpart Ahmad Al-Asadi focused on activating a previous agreement that grants Lebanese workers permits to work in Iraq for two to three years, with reciprocal rights for Iraqi workers in Lebanon.

He also revealed that Lebanon requested Iraq’s support in exchanging expertise, particularly in the oil sector and related industries, to help train and prepare Lebanese cadres. Haidar added that the Iraqi side expressed readiness to contribute to Lebanon’s reconstruction, as the Prime Minister recommended dispatching a specialized committee soon to initiate the work.