Shihab's Office: The Ministry Doesn't Need Lessons in Protecting National Interest

Issued by the media office of Minister of Displaced and Minister of State for Technology and Artificial Intelligence Kamil Shihab:

"We have been informed by the newspaper 'Al-Akhbar' through an article published in its issue dated 1/9/2026 titled: 'Shihab Signed a Strategic Agreement with a Company Linked to the Enemy's Army!' In this context, we wish to clarify the following:

After nine months, the newspaper continues to recycle the same topic, despite the ministry having previously clarified its position clearly. It appears that instead of tracking what the ministry has achieved over the past nine months, the publication remains fixated on a single agreement, as if nothing else had occurred. Therefore, we advise it to conduct a serious 'update' on its information and its approach to the ministry's work.

Since its inception until today, the ministry has launched dozens of initiatives, partnerships, and agreements with major international universities, companies, and institutions, including Microsoft and Oracle, alongside collaboration with leading universities such as AUB, LAU, USJ, NDU, and others. This also includes training programs and capacity-building efforts carried out in cooperation with specialized entities like DOT Lebanon and ForwardMENA, among others. All of this forms part of an integrated strategy led by the ministry to develop digital and artificial intelligence skills, support digital transformation in the state, and prepare Lebanese citizens for the future economy.

Regarding the agreement with 'Oracle' specifically, it is essential to ensure accurate information before publishing sensational headlines. The agreement is dedicated to training, capacity building, and qualifying Lebanese professionals in cloud computing, artificial intelligence, and machine learning fields, and does not involve transferring any data of the Lebanese state or its citizens to the company. Thus, portraying a training and qualification agreement for Lebanese personnel as one involving the transfer of state data is not only a misreading of the agreement’s content but also a deliberate misrepresentation of public opinion.

The ministry has previously clarified its position on this matter and remains committed to protecting national interest, digital sovereignty, and information security in all its partnerships. It is unacceptable for every international technology partnership to be transformed into political interpretations unrelated to the agreement’s actual content or the ministry’s ongoing work.

The ministry does not need lessons in protecting national interest, nor does it require someone to reduce its work to a single agreement while it engages daily with dozens of universities, companies, and institutions to build digital capabilities in Lebanon. If the newspaper 'Al-Akhbar' is genuinely interested in the technology file, it would be more appropriate for it to follow the ministry’s current developments rather than re-publishing the same questions after nine months. Clarification is required."