Under the High Patronage of the President of the Council of Ministers H.E. Mr. Saad Hariri represented by Minister of Communications Jamal Jarrah, LibanPost honored the Governor of the Banque du Liban Riad Salamé with a special stamp unveiled during a ceremony that took place at the Banque du Liban Museum, and attended by a crowd of business leaders as well as government officials, international and local media, and public figures.
This leading initiative by LibanPost comes as a Lebanese tribute to the Governor whose actions, efforts and dedication have preserved the economic and financial stability in Lebanon despite a highly critical local and regional context.
The unveiling of the special stamp honoring Governor Salamé also follows the edition by LibanPost of a series of collectable stamps paying tribute to the Lebanese international businessman Carlos Ghosn and most recently the Lebanese international fashion designer Elie Saab.
Following the Lebanese anthem and a welcome note by Mr. Rony Alfa, LibanPost’s Chairman Khalil Daoud started his speech saying that “a stamp and a celebration are never enough to honor Riad Salamé. For the last 25 years, the Governor’s focus was and is still is Lebanon’s financial stability, the support of SMEs and the liberal professions, the productive economy and all kind of initiatives targeting and encouraging the Lebanese youth. This has been achieved during times of high risks and tremendous challenges. Mr. Salamé’s excellence has been remarkable and he succeeded in his missions through working silently, with humility, armed with an extraordinary strong will and a great ability to plan and achieve”.
Daoud concluded addressing Salamé saying: “During difficult times, you have always been the synonym of the needed stability for Lebanon, and here you are as always, showing the way that leads the country towards more security”.
Minister of Telecommunications Jamal Jarrah congratulated Salamé “on behalf of his (Salame’s) friend Prime Minister Hariri for all the efforts made by the Governor”. Jarrah also mentioned that “Salamé’s decision to leave very high international spheres and come back to Lebanon to walk the path of reconstruction by the side of assassinated Prime Minister Rafic Hariri has brought the country to life”.
“We all know the impact of the local and international crisis that have affected Lebanon and the world, and without your wisdom, your will, your patriotism and all your great efforts, Lebanon would have never been able to overcome all those challenges”, said Jarrah who concluded by emphasizing the role played by the Governor “during times of crisis where a simple statement from Salamé would bring back the confidence of the Lebanese in their savings and their currency despite all the financial and monetary complications”, this is why, Jarrah said, “we thank Riad Salamé for preserving the Lebanese banking sector and for the great efforts made to maintain the country’s stability”.
Jarrah’s’s speech was followed by the unveiling of a commemorative plaque engraving the Governor’s stamp.
Upon receiving his plaque, Salamé expressed his gratitude for this honoring reception, considering this recognition as significant “because honoring someone in his homeland is always something important, this is why we thank H.E Minister Jarrah for attending and representing Prime Minister Hariri, as well as LibanPost and Mr. Khalil Daoud for their initiative”.
Salamé also said that “the Central Bank always look at the situation calmly, because during times like those we are currently experiencing, the monetary situation becomes the center of opinions and analysis from all sides, but with all due respect to all, we have to state that Lebanon is not bankrupt and has the ability to evolve because the main economic and financial criteria remains the trust that is based on experience. We have overcome wars and crisis, and we have always been confident and able to protect our stability by which I mean our national currency value and our credit capacity. The Central Bank confirms that our monetary stability is ongoing, this is proven, without counting the gold value, by a currency reserve of 45 billion dollars, as well as a 5% deposits increase in our banking system. All this data means that there is still confidence in Lebanon and that money has not stopped flowing into our system, and this is again demonstrated through our latest Eurobonds issuance for the value of 3 billion dollars that have all been subscribed into, a value covers our financial needs for 2018”.
“We have to be aware of everything said and written” concluded Salamé who also stressed the “necessity to draw conclusions based on realistic facts and data, as for the political controversies, this is something both we and the markets are now used to”..
The ceremony was followed by a cocktail reception held on the Banque du Liban’s steps.