Fouad Zmokhol on reforming Lebanon: “It’s time to act”
ByTheEast: A few weeks ago, Beirut hosted the Arab Economic and Social Development Summit which turned out to be a fiasco. Economic commentators pointed to the humiliation faced by Lebanon because...
Tom Butler on mining sector: “We are expected to do good not just do well”
ByTheEast: ICMM focuses on mining companies’ values, such as sustainable development and CSR (Corporate social responsibility). How can you help them to improve their policy?
Tom Butler: ICMM...
Jacques Sarraf on Lebanon-Russia: “We need to establish strategic relations”
ByTheEast: How old are the bounds between Lebanon and Russia?
Jacques Sarraf: The first contact between Russia and the Lebanese population dates back to the reign of Tsar Ivan IV, who decided to support the...
Guilherme Casarões on Brazil: “Trade relationships with the Middle East are not easy”
ByTheEast: Brazil was a net importer of agricultural products in the 1970s. It now ranks among the world’s five largest agricultural producers and exporters. Can it overtake the others?
Guilherme Casarões: Brazil has come a...
Tatiana Weber on Egypt: “Education is the top priority”
ByTheEast: According to a report published by the World Economic Forum, Egypt’s economy ranks 11th in the Middle East. How can you explain this bad ranking?
Weber: In the 2017-2018 Global Competitiveness Index published by...
Ignacio De La Torre on microfinance: “It is profitable and sustainable”
ByTheEast: As the founder of Financieros sin Fronteras, you have a wide angle about how foreign countries run their monetary system, about microfinance. How would you compare Spain with other Mediterranean countries?
De la Torre:...
Roland Riachi on water resources: “2018 is definitely a year of crisis”
ByTheEast: What’s so specific about water in Lebanon?
Riachi: What’s really fascinating about water is that water is everywhere. In every fields in our societies: agriculture, electricity, industries, public health… Water is really everywhere and...