Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil patronized Sunday the new phase of restoration works on the "Simar Jbeil" Fortress executed by the "Simar Jbeil Festivals Organization," in presence of several social and religious figures, most prominently Bishop of Batroun Mounir Khairallah and other dignitaries from the region.

In his speech marking the occasion, Bassil considered the Lebanese people's attachment to their territory and heritage as a "sacred act."

He stressed on the importance of ecological and cultural tourism for the country, which constitutes a substantial resource and a "sovereign fund" that would benefit the generations to come.

Pursuing his tour in the localities of North Lebanon, Bassil had inaugurated earlier a "Free Patriotic Movement" bureau in Bcharré

Source: NNA