Pietton visits Baalbek, goes over region's needs

French Ambassador to Lebanon Denis Pietton on Friday visited Baalbek and started his tour at the French Cultural Center before meeting with the town's municipal council headed by Hashem Othman.

Pietton said this official visit had been on his schedule for almost a month, after the visits he made to Tripoli and Sidon. Pietton's tour aims at expressing France's good ties with all Lebanese factions and confessions.

"We consider ourselves as friends of all Lebanese. We have good ties with all parties represented in the parliament," the Ambassador confirmed.

"Relations between Lebanon and France are historical and solid, the problem is that the embassy is located in Beirut, the capital, therefore we have to tour on all the Lebanese regions and boost our presence through the French cultural centers spread along the Lebanese territories," he explained.

The Ambassador confirmed as well that the visit sought after rehabilitating the historical sites in Baalbek region, in the frame of the project assigned to the French Agency for Development (AFD) so as to provide economic and commercial benefits to that touristic area.

The Ambassador accordingly called for developing the tourism sector, hence the economy. Pertaining to the situation in Syria, Pietton reiterated his country's support for reforms and dialogue.