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The UAE-Lebanon Business Forum convened at the Seaside Arena in Beirut bringing together senior officials and private sector leaders from both countries to advance economic cooperation. Dr. Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, the UAE Minister of Foreign Trade, headed an 80-member delegation that included chamber representatives from across the Emirates. Panel sessions examined prospects for partnerships in infrastructure reconstruction projects as well as pathways to convert identified opportunities into direct investments, according to WAM.
WAM reported that four memoranda of understanding were concluded on the sidelines of the gathering. One accord established the Joint UAE-Lebanon Business Council, an initiative first outlined during the Lebanese president’s visit to Abu Dhabi in 2025, and was signed by Abdullah Sultan Al Owais of the UAE Federation of Chambers and Mohammed Shukair of the Lebanese chambers federation. The Ras Al Khaimah Chamber was among the UAE participants that signed a cooperation agreement with the Beirut and Mount Lebanon Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture to promote investment and business links, as the RAK Chamber explores trade, investment opportunities at UAE-Lebanon Business Forum. A further pair of pacts involved Elite Agro Holding and Lebanese partners to develop research in arid agriculture and greenhouse solutions.
Bilateral non-oil trade between the UAE and Lebanon climbed to $4.2 billion in 2025, an increase of 35.6 percent from the previous year, figures presented by Al Zeyoudi at the forum show. The expansion supplies a strengthened platform for the newly formed business council, which held its inaugural meeting immediately after the event. Council members outlined steps to prepare an investment roadmap, schedule sector-focused gatherings and dismantle obstacles to trade, WAM stated.
The forum occurred weeks after the UAE lifted its travel ban on its citizens visiting Lebanon, a step that has encouraged business delegations to examine prospects first hand. Lebanese officials including President Joseph Aoun received the UAE minister and reiterated that the country welcomes Emirati capital in areas such as logistics, energy, aviation, agriculture and tourism. Participants from the UAE side described the visit as an opportunity to secure early-mover positions in an economy undergoing recovery, according to reports from the event.
Discussions underscored the private sector’s central role in turning diplomatic improvements into commercial gains for both nations. The Abu Dhabi Chamber of Commerce and Industry also signed a separate cooperation pact with its Beirut counterpart to expand channels for companies and investors. These arrangements build upon earlier momentum in relations and are expected to yield measurable outcomes in the coming months, WAM reported.
