The meeting, held at IMF headquarters in Washington, was followed by an expanded one attended by Central Bank Gov. Riad Salameh, Lebanese Charge d’Affaires in Washington Carla Jazzar, Hariri adviser Nadim Munla, and a number of high-ranking officials at the IMF. Hariri’s meeting with Lagarde also tackled the repercussions of the Syrian refugee crisis for Lebanon. “Views were identical between the Lebanese vision on how to deal with the impact of displacement and the recommendation of the IMF that focuses on implementing an investment program in infrastructure to stimulate growth and create new job opportunities,” the statement said. It added that the IMF had issued a recommendation identical to the Lebanese government’s vision and policy on dealing with the presence of more than 1 million Syrian refugees in Lebanon.

During the meeting, Hariri asked the IMF to conduct a study to define the negative impact of the Syrian displacement on the Lebanese state’s budget, the statement added. There are an estimated 1.5 million Syrian refugees living in Lebanon, according to government estimates, straining the country’s battered economy and weak infrastructure. Before leaving Washington Friday, Hariri met with Sens. James Lankford and Jeff Merkley on Capitol Hill. Discussions with the two senators focused on the legislation related to Lebanon being studied by Congress, a statement issued by Hariri’s office said, referring to the anti-Hezbollah sanctions.

Hariri also met with a delegation from the American Task Force for Lebanon headed by its president, Edward Gabriel. The meeting covered various aspects of the situation in Lebanon, the statement said. Hariri also visited Capitol Hill Thursday, meeting with the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, chaired by Sen. Bob Corker with ranking member Sen. Ben Cardin. He was joined by Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil and other members of the Lebanese delegation. “Discussions focused on the situation in Lebanon and Lebanese-U.S. relations,” the statement said. Hariri had earlier met with House minority leader Rep. Nancy Pelosi, House majority leader Rep. Kevin McCarthy, House Foreign Affairs Committee chair Rep. Ed Royce and Rep. Liz Cheney.