Prime Minister Dr. Nawaf Salam concluded his visit to Washington and the United States of America by meeting with the Lebanese Embassy staff, in the presence of Ambassador Nada Hamada Moawad, Deputy Head of Mission Wissam Boutros, First Secretary and Consul Khaled Hamadeh, First Secretary and Consul Dana Ghazaleh, Military Attaché Brigadier General Oliver Hakim, along with administrative staff and trainees at the embassy. Salam thanked the embassy team for their efforts, especially during the visit, and exchanged conversations with them about the work of the embassy and its role in serving Lebanon and the Lebanese in the United States and strengthening Lebanese-American relations. Meeting with the Chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee in the US Senate: Salam also met in Washington with the Chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee in the US Senate, Senator Jim Risch, the ranking Democratic member of the Committee, Senator Jeanne Shaheen, and the two members of the Committee, Senators Chris Coons and Tim Kaine, in the presence of Minister of Foreign Affairs and Emigrants Youssef Raji and the Lebanese Ambassador to the United States of America, Nada Hamada Moawad. During the meeting, they discussed Lebanese-American relations, developments in Lebanon and the region, and the efforts made by the government to restore Lebanon’s full sovereignty and extend state authority over its entire territory, in addition to the path of reforms and economic recovery. Denying statements attributed to the Prime Minister and Rubio: Lebanese media circulated statements attributed to Prime Minister Dr. Nawaf Salam and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, which were allegedly included in the minutes of their meeting in Washington. The Prime Minister's Media Office is keen to confirm that these statements are a figment of the imagination and were not made during the meeting at all, and calls on the media to be accurate and return to official sources regarding the content of the meeting. The statement issued by the Prime Minister’s Media Office explained that President Salam stressed during the meeting the necessity of activating the tripartite framework and translating the principles of reciprocity and interimity into practical steps and tangible results on the ground, leading to Lebanon restoring its full sovereignty, achieving complete Israeli withdrawal from Lebanese territory, and confining arms to the state over its entire territory. He also stressed the need to set a clear timetable for implementing commitments, ensuring the progress of the two paths of Israeli withdrawal, extending state authority and exclusivity of weapons, and establishing a reliable mechanism for verification, as stipulated in the framework. Also, the official statement issued by the US State Department confirmed that Secretary Rubio renewed the United States’ strong commitment to supporting Lebanon in implementing the tripartite framework, and praised the efforts of President Salam’s government to extend state authority. Accordingly, any other statements or positions attributed to President Salam or Minister Rubio outside of what was officially issued by both sides do not express the content of the meeting in any way. Meeting with the Director General of the International Monetary Fund: Salam and Finance Minister Yassine Jaber met with the Director General of the International Monetary Fund, Kristalina Georgieva, at the Fund’s headquarters in Washington, in the presence of Lebanon’s Ambassador to the United States of America, Nada Hamadeh. During the meeting, they discussed the course of negotiations between Lebanon and the International Monetary Fund, the progress achieved in implementing financial and banking reforms, and the steps required to reach an agreement with the Fund. In this context, it was agreed that a delegation from the International Monetary Fund would visit Lebanon after the annual meetings of the Fund and the World Bank, to resume negotiations with the aim of making progress towards reaching an agreement. President Salam affirmed "the government's commitment to continuing the reform path and completing the necessary legislation and procedures to address financial and banking imbalances," stressing "the government's readiness to cooperate with the House of Representatives in order to complete the passage of the Financial Gap Law, after the adoption of the Banking Sector Restructuring Law." He also stressed that the government "is determined to continue working to control public finances, enhance governance and transparency, and complete the necessary reforms to rebuild a sound banking sector and restore confidence in the Lebanese economy." For her part, Georgieva congratulated the government on the progress it had achieved in the path of reforms, and noted its performance in public finance management and budget preparation, and the steps taken in terms of restructuring the banking sector and enhancing financial discipline. She affirmed "the Fund's readiness to continue working closely with the Lebanese government and to build on what has been achieved to advance the negotiations." The two sides stressed the importance of accelerating work during the next phase to reach an agreement that lays sound foundations for financial and economic recovery and contributes to restoring confidence in the Lebanese economy.