​Statement:

At the end of the session, Information Minister Ziad Makari read the following statement:

 The Council of Ministers held its last meeting before the government entered the caretaker stage, headed by the President of the Republic and in the presence of the Prime Minister and the ministers with the absence of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates who is outside Lebanon.

At the beginning of the session, the President of the Republic said  it was the last session of the government after the holding of the parliamentary elections and the beginning of the mandate of the new Parliament . He spoke about the government's work during the past months, praising the understanding that prevailed between the ministers and the work they did in the short period, thanking the prime minister and ministers for their efforts in this direction.

PM Mikati said that the government worked as one working group, recording his satisfaction with the ministers' work and cooperation.  He praised the efforts made to hold the parliamentary elections by the concerned ministries, public administrations and security and administrative agencies.

Afterwards, the Council of Ministers began studying the agenda. The Minister of Interior presented an assessment of the election process, and then the ministers handed over reports on what had been achieved in their ministries since the formation of the government.

 The Council of Ministers studied the items on the agenda, and took the appropriate decisions:

 - The Deputy Prime Minister presented the strategy for advancement in the financial sector and a memorandum on economic and financial policies that was  approved with the objection of Ministers Ali Hamiya, Mustafa Bayram, Abbas Hajj Hassan, and Muhammad Al-Murtadha, while Minister Abbas Al-Halaby expressed reservations. i

 - The Ministry of Communications offered to reduce about 42.65 million US dollars in fresh from the cost of operating cellular networks.

 - Assigning the Minister of Public Works and Transport to contract with SGS to provide a technical service related to activating the work of the scanner in the port of Beirut to enhance the security of shipments.

 - The Ministry of Health’s request was approval to ask the Banque du Liban to pay an amount of 35 million US dollars per month for the next four months for the purchase of medicines for incurable, chronic and cancerous diseases, medical supplies, milk and raw materials for the manufacture of medicine.

 - As for the item of raising the customs dollar, it was withdrawn from discussion by the Minister of Finance.

Questions & Answers:

Minister Makari answered the journalists question on whether the price flour was raised?

He added without the raise in the communications sector it would have collapsed completely.

The Minister of Communications, Johnny Al-Qorm, spoke and said:

 I would like to tell the Lebanese people that the telecommunications sector will not stop, and this is a very positive thing.  From today I am able to think about improving this sector.​