Ayrault Visits Senior Lebanese Officials in Show of Support

President Michel Aoun held a meeting with French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault and his accompanying delegation at the Presidential Palace in Baabda, the state-run National News Agency reported on Thursday.

Ayrault who arrived Wednesday evening, left the Baabda Palace without making a statement, NNA added.

However, media reports said that Aoun had reiterated during talks with the French diplomat “Lebanon's keenness to improve and develop the relations between the two countries.”

For his part, Ayrault was quoted as saying: “France will continue to provide aid to Lebanon.”

Later, the FM held talks with Prime Minister Saad Hariri after which he made a statement and said: “We will exert efforts that Lebanon is kept away from the regional turmoil.

“I present my support for Hariri who has a difficult mission ahead. France will continue to provide financial aid to help Lebanon as it seeks to contain the fallout from the war in neighboring Syria.”

According to MTV channel, Ayrault suggested holding a conference next March, of political character, to support Lebanon to be dedicated to tackling the issue of the displaced.

Ayrault held talks later in the day with Speaker Nabih Berri in Ain el-Tineh.

France is a strong supporter of Lebanon's army, which is fighting the Islamic State group and al-Qaida's Syrian branch in border areas. Both countries have been hit by a wave of terror attacks that killed scores of people over the past two years.

Lebanon is also home to some 1.2 million refugees, around a quarter of the country's population. Ayrault said France has given Lebanon 105 million euros ($110 million) to help it cope with the influx.

Ayrault's visit is the first by a senior French official since Aoun's election as president on November 31.