BEIRUT: Caretaker Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil was scheduled to leave on a regional tour Sunday to distribute invitations to the 2019 Arab Economic and Social Development summit, the Central News Agency reported over the weekend.Bassil, the CNA reported Saturday, will head to Qatar, Kuwait, Oman, Jordan, Egypt and Bahrain on behalf of President Michel Aoun to invite the heads of states to participate in the summit, to be held in Beirut from Jan. 19-20.

“It will be an opportunity to discuss with the heads of these states the different regional topics, in addition to bilateral ties,” according to the CNA.

The agency also reported that during his visit to Kuwait, Bassil will discuss mutual cooperation as well as the diplomatic ties between the two countries.

On Sunday, the state-run National News Agency reported that caretaker Minister of State for Combating Corruption Nicolas Tueni went to Sudan and handed an AESD invitation to Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir, who promised to attend.

The pair discussed the importance of the summit, bilateral relations between their two countries, the regional situation and Israel’s threats against Lebanon.

The AESD was formed as an economic and developmental conference that tends to involve the private sector, including banks, chambers of commerce, industry and agriculture.

A committee from the Arab League General Secretariat arrived Thursday in Lebanon from Cairo to oversee preparations for the summit. The following day, the NNA reported that caretaker Finance Minister Ali Hasan Khalil met Tunisian President Beji Caid Essebsi to invite him to the summit on Aoun’s behalf.

Essebsi expressed his trust in Lebanon’s ability to provide all the elements necessary for the summit’s success. He also praised the relationship between the two countries and the need to strengthen cooperation in trade and investment.

The CNA added that caretaker Telecommunications Minister Jamal Jarrah is going to Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Yemen and the United Arab Emirates to deliver invitations for the summit.