President of the Republic, Michel Aoun, on Tuesday thanked his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron for his efforts in helping Lebanon in various fields, stressing that "France has an essential role in the success of the three conferences and a key factor to ensure their success."

Aoun’s words came after holding a series of meetings this afternoon at his residence at Plaza Etienne Hotel in Paris, with French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire, and French Foreign Affairs Minister, Jean-Yves Le Drian, in presence of Foreign Affairs Minister Gebran Bassil and Lebanese Ambassador to France Rami Adwan.

In the wake of the first meeting, Le Maire stressed that his country "will work to provide the appropriate atmosphere for the success of the conferences that will be held to help Lebanon in the fields of supporting the army and investments, in addition to finding solutions to the displaced Syrians."

During the meeting, President Aoun tackled the projects ready for implementation and those that need further preparation, mainly the development of infrastructure, roads, water and electricity sector, in addition to the investment and tourism projects.

The pair also dwelt on the issue of the European partnership and the role of the European Union in helping Lebanon, in addition to the issue of the displaced and the proposed solutions to their cause.

Separately, Aoun discussed with Le Drian the outcome of his meeting with President Macaron during the Elysee talks.

Le Drian said that President Macron asked him to work closely with the Lebanese government to secure the success of the conferences that will be held for Lebanon.

He also disclosed that he will visit Lebanon before the end of this year to prepare for Macron's visit to Lebanon next spring, as well as to study all the necessary arrangements for the Army, investment and displaced-related conferences

Source: AFP