Italy foreign minister visits Beirut as PM pledges support
Italy's foreign minister arrived in Beirut Friday to meet with Lebanon's newly elected president, as Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni offered her strong support.
"Italy's strong support for Lebanon's stabilization and pacification process" would be at the heart of discussions between Antonio Tajani and President Joseph Aoun, caretaker Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib, and Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, Tajani's office said in a statement.
The election Thursday of Aoun ended a more than two-year vacancy for a country deep in economic and political crisis.
It "represents a historic moment for Lebanon and an important signal for the entire Middle Eastern region," said Tajani.
"We are working to ensure that the ceasefire with Israel represents the first step towards sustainable peace," he added.
Earlier Friday, Meloni sent her congratulations to Aoun, who will now be charged with overseeing a ceasefire in south Lebanon and naming a prime minister able to push through desperately needed reforms.
"I am convinced that President Aoun will be a trustworthy and authoritative leader for Lebanon, a friendly nation to Italy to which we are linked by historic and deep ties," Meloni said in a statement.
Source: Agence France Presse
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