Reports of Lebanese nationals being deported from Gulf countries are being exaggerated, the Foreign Ministry said in a statement issued Sunday. After following up on the number of Lebanese deportees from Gulf countries over the last three months, the Foreign Ministry said it had discovered that there were only 74 cases of “expulsion, deportation, or non-renewal of residency” for different purposes.
It added that Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil was continuously contacting relevant authorities in the Gulf countries, asking them to take into consideration the situation of Lebanese individuals and families. He also called on Lebanese nationals to adhere to local laws in the countries where they are currently residing.
The statement sought to downplay reports that thousands of Lebanese expatriates would soon be deported from the Gulf region, due to the recent ongoing strain in diplomatic relations.
“There were reports that Kuwait intends to deport thousands of Lebanese. It was discovered after a meeting between the Lebanese charge d’affaires in Kuwait and the Kuwaiti Interior Ministry’s representative, that [Kuwait] did not remove or prevent Lebanese from renewing their residency for any illegal purposes,” the statement then added.
The Kuwaiti official also denied any media reports which claimed that Lebanese people were being deported because of their “affiliations.”
This comes in response to a recent report by a Kuwaiti newspaper last month, which said that Kuwait was set to expel around 1,100 people over their alleged links to Hezbollah.
The Foreign Ministry called on media outlets to be careful in what they report, as they might harm ties between Lebanon and the Gulf.
Fears have grown that almost 350,000 Lebanese working and living in the oil-rich Gulf region are in danger of being deported, as a result of a diplomatic row between Lebanon and Gulf countries.
Meanwhile, Labor Minister Sejaan Azzi said Sunday that he was reassured by his Gulf Arab counterparts that they are keen to preserve the Lebanese labor force in their countries. The state-run National News Agency reported that Azzi met with the Emirati and Qatari labor ministers during the Arab Labor Organization Conference in Cairo.
