Mikati chairs budget meeting at the Grand Serail

Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati chaired Wednesday a meeting to discuss the 2023 state budget.

Deputy PM Saadeh al-Shami, caretaker Minister of Finance Youssef al-Khalil, Mikati's advisors Nicolas Nahhas and Samir al-Daher, and Director General of the Ministry of Finance George Maarawi attended the meeting at the Grand Serail.

Ministerial sources confirmed to al-Joumhouria newspaper, in remarks published Wednesday, that the budget exchange rate has not been resolved yet and that today's session will determine the time needed for finalizing the budget. Thus, the prime minister will not call for any session soon.

Once the budget is completed, Mikati will call for successive sessions to discuss and approve it, the sources said.