French President Emmanuel Macron, who will receive his Lebanese counterpart Joseph Aoun in Paris on Friday, will also have a “trilateral meeting” with him and interim Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa, who will join them “remotely,” the Élysée Palace announced on Thursday.
“This will be an opportunity for the three heads of state to discuss the issue of security along the Syrian-Lebanese border,” where “tensions” have “led to clashes,” explained the French presidency to journalists, affirming a desire to work toward the “restoration of the sovereignty of Lebanon, but also of Syria.”
“Lebanon and Syria face common challenges, particularly in terms of trafficking, and the heads of state will work together to propose responses to these issues,” added Emmanuel Macron’s entourage.
In addition to this three-way meeting, a five-way discussion “focused on the Eastern Mediterranean” will also include the leaders of Cyprus and Greece, to address the “challenges” related to “maritime safety” and “the impact that the regional environment can have on security,” according to the Élysée.
The issue of the return of Syrian refugees will also be discussed.
Emmanuel Macron is also set to have a bilateral phone conversation with Ahmad al-Sharaa, during which a possible future visit by the interim Syrian president to France is expected to be discussed.
This will be the new Lebanese president’s first official visit to the West since his election in January—a vote in which Paris played a significant role in the hope of initiating a process of political and economic reforms in the crisis-stricken country.
The election of Joseph Aoun and the formation of a government led by Prime Minister Nawaf Salam ended more than two years of political deadlock.
Emmanuel Macron had traveled to Beirut just days after the presidential election and had announced the organization of an international conference for Lebanon’s reconstruction, though a date has yet to be set.
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