Lebanese President Joseph Aoun has communicated to French President Emmanuel Macron expressing Lebanon’s interest in joining the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC).
As a signatory to the IMEC agreement, Lebanon is asking France to petition Lebanon’s integration into the corridor.
“Lebanon is ready to engage in the IMEC corridor,” French envoy Jean-Yves Le Drian commented in an interview with Nidaa al-Watan.
He added that “Lebanon has many reasons to join IMEC, and it has assets, among which are the ports of Beirut and Tripoli…and President Aoun is absolutely determined to push things forward.”
What is the IMEC corridor?
The IMEC corridor was first announced in September 2023, initially linking Gulf ports to Israeli ports via Saudi Arabia and Jordan through rail, road, and telecommunications infrastructure.
The announcement occurred amid discussions on Saudi-Israeli normalization which was halted a month later by the Hamas-led October 7 attacks and subsequent war in Gaza.
Challenges arose since 2023 as Saudi-Israeli relations worsened during the hostilities in Gaza and as regional tensions complicate coordination among key corridor stakeholders Saudi Arabia and the UAE.
On February 20, Saudi Arabia revisited the idea of IMEC with a proposal that Syria replace Israel on a corridor for a fibre-optic cable project between the Middle East and Europe.
Lebanon in IMEC
As the IMEC corridor expands in its reach across the region, Lebanese officials have signaled interest in joining as part of an effort to economically re-integrate with Gulf states.
Countries such as Saudi Arabia have established a position that their engagement with Lebanon is linked to the status of Beirut’s operational control in the country and restricting non-state arms.
With efforts to consolidate state control and curb Hezbollah’s armed presence, Gulf states such as Qatar, the UAE, and Saudi Arabia have sought greater economic and political engagement with Lebanon.
Prime Minister Nawaf Salam declared Beirut’s operational control south of the Litani River in January.
Earlier in February, an army plan approved by the Lebanese cabinet to expand control north of the Litani, which Salam stated is likely to be completed within four months “should our armed forces find the same helping and assisting factors that were provided during the implementation of the previous phase.”
In January, Qatar pledged $480 million for reconstruction in southern Lebanon and Saudi Arabia is preparing to lead a conference in Paris in support of the Lebanese army on March 5, jointly led with France.
The economic and infrastructure development that would come with incorporation into IMEC would also serve as an additional path out of Lebanon’s economic crisis while the country seeks an IMF package agreement and undertakes banking and financial sector reform.
As discourse surrounding the corridor grows and as more countries seek to be included, Lebanon is presented with the opportunity to integrate into the region’s economy rather than be bypassed by it, a phenomenon of which officials seek to take advantage.
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