NNA – Caretaker Minister of Economy, Amin Salam, and his wife, participated Sunday in the opening of the “Hemlaya Market” on the occasion of St. Rafqa's Day, under the patronage and presence of Maronite Patriarch, Cardinal Beshara Boutros Al-Rahi.

Salam also attended the launching ceremony of the “Lebanese” perfume, which carries the scent of Lebanon from Hamlaya to the world.

Salam thanked the organizers of the event, praising in his word the “enjoyable, holy atmosphere full of joy, spirituality and pleasure, in the town of Hamlaya, the town of His Beatitude the Patriarch, which nestles in the heart of Mount Lebanon on one of the most beautiful hills of Mount Sannine that combines heritage and modernity in a wonderful unparalleled blending, the town that was home to Saint Rafqa where she lived and grew up, and has since become a destination for believers and a religious tourism attraction.”

Salam welcomed the holding of such events for their contribution to strengthening the national industry and municipal products, particularly in light of the economic crisis that Lebanon is going through.

“We all know that national industries, whatever their size, are considered an essential pillar of economic development in countries, and a step towards achieving self-sufficiency and reducing the volume of imports,” Salam went on. “Rather, the approach later on will be to export our Lebanese products to Arab and even Western countries, which helps in reviving our national economy,” he asserted.

Finally, Salam hoped that this occasion would be the beginning of more similar activities to be held across the country, and that other villages and towns would be prompted to follow suit in organizing similar events that help to boost the Lebanese local economy.

==========R.Sh.