French Foreign Minister Jean Marc Ayrault stressed Thursday the importance of the friendship between Lebanon and France, noting that “France will remain a loyal friend to Lebanon.”
Following his meeting with Prime Minister Saad Hariri, Ayrault expressed support to Hariri in his difficult task he has been assigned with, adding that France will continue providing financial support to assist Lebanon in coping with the issue of the refugees.
“We will exert our efforts to keep Lebanon away from the Syrian crisis and we will stand by its side in fighting terrorism,” he stated.
Earlier, the French minister had told President Michel Aoun during their meeting in Baabda that his country values the Lebanese privacy that must be preserved.
For his part, Aoun praised the importance of cooperation between the states to fight terror, stressing Lebanon’s keenness on boosting and developing the Lebanese-French relations.
Ayrault also met with his Lebanese counterpart Gebran Bassil who stressed that Lebanon continues to bear the burden of the massive influx of 1.5 million Syrian refugees without taking into consideration Lebanon’s situation.
“The only solution for the refugee crisis is their return to their country,” Bassil added.
The minister declared that a meeting for the International Support Group for Lebanon is being organized in order to restore life to the Lebanese institutions.
For his part, Ayrault said that France will work on keeping Lebanon out of the Syrian conflict, welcoming the expected visit of Aoun to Saudi Arabia.
“The situation in Lebanon is unparalleled in the world, there is no other country that hosts such a number of refugees,” he explained.