Lebanese President Michel Aoun

The Lebanese Presidency’s press office indicated Friday that “what has been achieved as to the demarcation of the southern sea border is the result of a Lebanese decision that reflects the unity of the Lebanese stance and the result of tough and difficult negotiations that were led by the Lebanese negotiating team with the US mediator.”

In a statement posted on Twitter, the Presidency affirmed that "during the negotiations, Lebanon did not offer any concessions and it did not bow to any bargains, swaps, 'deals' or the wills of foreign nations."

It added that everything that promotes the opposite is pure slander, and it is shameful that it comes from parties that are supposed to stand by their state.

The statement also underlined that "the issue of demarcation is an achievement at the level of the country and for the sake of its sons, not for the sake of a person, a side, a party or a foreign nation."

The Presidency concluded that the demarcation will be in the interest of Lebanon and the Lebanese people, adding that this will appear during the implementation stages in the coming months.

مكتب الاعلام في رئاسة الجمهورية: إن ما تحقق على صعيد ترسيم الحدود البحرية الجنوبية هو نتيجة قرار لبناني يعكس وحدة الموقف الوطني وحصيلة مفاوضات شاقة وصعبة قادها الفريق اللبناني المفاوض مع الوسيط الاميركي
— Lebanese Presidency (@LBpresidency) October 21, 2022

On Tuesday, Lebanese President Michel Aoun called on TotalEnergies company to quickly begin exploring Block 9 in the Mediterranean sea, "to make up for the time lost due to indirect negotiations to demarcate the southern maritime borders."

In a tweet, the presidential office said that Aoun met a delegation from the company after Lebanon reached an indirect agreement this month with the Israeli occupation to demarcate the disputed maritime borders after years of negotiations that were held under US mediation.

"Lebanon has become an oil-producing country, and what was once a dream has become a reality today thanks to our steadfastness," Aoun said, noting that Total "will have to start exploration to compensate the country for the years that have passed without oil and gas being extracted."

Right after Aoun's statement, US mediator Amos Hochstein stated that he hoped TotalEnergies and ENI could begin gas exploration in Lebanese maritime blocs within weeks.

The TotalEnergies-led consortium that won rights to explore two offshore blocks also included Russia's Novatek, but it pulled out last month.

On his part, Lebanon's caretaker Energy Minister, Walid Fayyad, pointed out that Qatar has expressed an interest in joining the consortium.

Aoun approves maritime deal with 'Israel', reveals details

It is noteworthy that Aoun announced last week that Lebanon agreed to adopt the final formula prepared by the US mediator Amos Hochstein to demarcate the southern maritime borders with the Israeli occupation.

In a televised speech, Aoun said, "This agreement responds to the Lebanese demands and preserves our rights in full," stressing that this achievement would not have been completed without the unified Lebanese stance.

"Lebanon did not pave the way to any kind of the rejected normalization," the Lebanese President said, hoping that the end of the negotiations would be "a promising beginning that lays the foundation for an economic revival that Lebanon needs through completing oil exploration."

The Lebanese President stressed that "Lebanon did not concede not even a kilometer to 'Israel', as we obtained the entire Qana field, and refused to recognize the Israeli buoys' line."

Aoun addressed the Lebanese people by saying, "Your resistance has proven to be an element of power for Lebanon, and you have contributed to fortifying the Lebanese position in negotiation as well as in confrontation."

On its part, the Israeli occupation cabinet last week approved the US-brokered maritime border agreement with Lebanon, with all its members voting in favor, except for Interior Minister Ayelet Shaked who abstained, Israeli media reported.

Earlier, a Lebanese official source told Sputnik that Hochstein will arrive in Beirut next Wednesday, explaining that the US mediator's visit will focus on the Lebanese preparations to sign the border demarcation agreement with the Israeli occupation.