The European Union wants to help Lebanon avoid economic collapse, but only if the country's leaders put things in order, AP reported citing Austrian Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg.
He said Lebanon should make a deal with the International Monetary Fund, continue investigating the August 2020 port bombing and restore the banking sector.
“Frankly we are very concerned about what is going on in the country,” Schallenberg said. “Our message is, help us to help you. Austria will continue to stand on the side of the Lebanese people but what we want to see is action on the side of Lebanon,” he said.
The economic crisis in Lebanon has been called by the World Bank one of the worst in the world since the 1850s. Tens of thousands of people have lost their jobs since October 2019, and the Lebanese pound has lost more than 90% of its value. Nearly 80% of the population of 6 million, including 1 million Syrian refugees, live below the poverty line.
