Giorgia Meloni, head of the Italian government, arrived in Beirut on Wednesday evening for a 24-hour visit during which she will inspect the Italian contingent of UNIFIL and hold talks with its commanding officers.
She was welcomed off the plane by caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati, with whom she immediately held a meeting at the Serail in the presence of the members of the delegation accompanying her and the Italian Ambassador to Beirut, Nicoletta Bombardiere.
On the Lebanese side, the meeting was attended by the caretaker Minister of Foreign Affairs, Abdallah Bou Habib, and Mikati’s advisors Nicolas Nahas, Boutros Assaker and Ziad Mikati.
According to a press release issued by the Serail, the two Prime Ministers said they were in favor of a rapid implementation of the UN Security Council Resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, especially as it could extend to the southern border with Israel.
Regarding the situation in this part of the country, Mikati insisted on Lebanon’s commitment to the full implementation of Security Council Resolution 1701. He stressed the need for Israel to comply with the resolution and end its repeated violations of Lebanese sovereignty.
Meloni and Mikati discussed the issue of Syrian migrants in Lebanon and that of illegal migrants in the Mediterranean countries in general. They both agreed on the need for concerted international efforts and bilateral coordination to find lasting solutions to this phenomenon.
