Aoun thanked his French counterpart for "France's support for Lebanon, his personal follow-up on the country's situation, and his commitment to strengthening state authority and sovereignty, and supporting Lebanon's official, security, and military institutions, particularly the army and the Internal Security Forces, which was demonstrated by organizing the preparatory meeting for the international conference to support the army and security forces, as part of the Aqaba Process initiative launched by Jordanian King Abdullah II."
The two presidents reviewed the situation in Lebanon in light of recent developments, amid the continued Israeli attacks on Lebanese villages and towns and ongoing efforts to bring an end to these attacks within the framework of the Lebanese-American-Israeli negotiations and the framework agreement. President Aoun briefed his French counterpart on developments in southern Lebanon and on the post-UNIFIL phase.
In this context, Aoun thanked the French president for the initiative he had launched with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni regarding arrangements following the end of UNIFIL’s mandate.
The talks also addressed progress made in developing proposals at the UN Security Council on the future of the international presence in southern Lebanon, in line with the diplomatic track and aimed at preventing a vacuum following the end of UNIFIL’s mandate.
Aoun also stressed the importance of organizing the reconstruction conference that President Macron had proposed, alongside the conference to support the Lebanese Army and Internal Security Forces.
The two presidents also discussed ways to strengthen cooperation in various fields, including the economy and energy, as well as the resumption of oil and gas exploration in Lebanon’s offshore blocks. They also discussed the Francophonie file and the current state of the organization in light of preparations for the upcoming Francophonie Summit in Cambodia.
The two presidents agreed to remain in continuous contact to follow up on developments. They are also scheduled to meet Jordan’s King Abdullah II at noon Beirut time at Les Invalides for the opening of the preparatory meeting for the conference in support of the Lebanese Army and Internal Security Forces.