French President Emmanuel Macron will receive caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati and the Commander-in-Chief of the Lebanese Army, General Joseph Aoun, on Friday, against a backdrop of national and regional tensions, announced the Élysée Palace.
“The caretaker prime minister is expected to arrive at the Élysée Palace at noon on Friday,” according to the Élysée press office, which confirmed that “the head of the army will also be present,” according to LBCI TV channel. There were no further details.
For its part, the Lebanese Army said in a statement that General Joseph Aoun had flown to France “at the invitation of the Chief of Staff of the French Armed Forces, Army General Thierry Burkhard.” In Paris, he is due to take part in a meeting organized by the French authorities “to discuss ways of supporting the army, so that it can continue to carry out its missions in the exceptional situation the country is going through.”
