Wednesday, October 30 2019 21:32

ArmInfo.Yerevan reacted to events in friendly Lebanon.  Thus, the Spokesperson of the Armenian Foreign Ministry, Anna Naghdalyan, referring to the situation in  Lebanon, in particular, said: "Lebanon is a friendly country for  Armenia, with which we have warm and multi-layered relations. We hope  that in the domestic political processes in Lebanon the best  solutions will be found for the benefit of further stabilization of  the situation in the country and the prosperity and welfare of the  friendly Lebanese people''.

At the same time, Anna Naghdalyan stated that during all those events  in Lebanon, the Armenian Embassy in Beirut operates in emergency mode  and this is one of those embassies, the consular department of which  continues to receive and provides round-the-clock services to  Armenian citizens. ''As you know, the embassy addressed the citizens  of Armenia temporarily staying in Lebanon, urging them to refrain  from visiting crowded places. As for the Armenian community of  Lebanon, it is constitutionally represented in the state bodies of  the country and participates in internal political processes as a  natural participant and actor in the political life of the country,  "she said, adding that the Armenian Embassy in Beirut is in constant  contact with the leaders of the community structures, as well as  relevant representatives of the Lebanese authorities.

Mass demonstrations continue in Lebanon from October 17. According to  various sources, more than two million people participate in  anti-government actions, while the entire population of the country  is 4 million people. The main demand of the protesters is the  resignation of the current government of Saad Hariri.  Activists  block daily the main highways of the country and the main roads of  large cities, including the capital. In addition to banks, the work  of schools and universities has been paralyzed.  Protests and mass  anti-government demonstrations broke out in different cities of  Lebanon after the decision of the country's cabinet to approve the  introduction of a tax on the use of Internet-type chat applications  such as WhatsApp ($ 6 per month), as well as a tax on tobacco  products (about $ 1.3 per import pack, $ 0.5 per local). It is also  planned to increase VAT to 15% by 2022. Lebanese Communications  Minister Mohammad Choucair announced the abolition of the "WhatsApp  tax" on the night of October 18, but the protests did not stop. The  first protests and strikes began in Lebanon at the end of April and  continued until the end of May. Unions began to go on strike when the  government, approving the state budget for fiscal year 2019, included  clauses providing for the reduction of salaries and social payments  to civil servants and retired military personnel.