Army Chief Meets Macron, French Defense Officials

Army Commander General Joseph Aoun has held talks in Paris with French President Emmanuel Macron and top French defense officials.

The Lebanese Army said Aoun and Macron discussed “the army’s situation and the challenges it is facing in this period,” with the French president emphasizing “the importance of supporting the Lebanese Army” in order to strengthen “Lebanon’s stability.”

Aoun has earlier in the day met with the French Chief of the Defense Staff, General Francois Lecointre and the discussions tackled “the needs of the Lebanese Army and discuss ways to support it at this critical phase that Lebanon is experiencing, especially at the economic level,” the army said.

Aoun met with his French counterpart at the Official Defense College, where a welcoming ceremony was arranged. Then they held a meeting during which they discussed the army’s situation and the challenges it faces, the army said in a statement.

Lecointre stressed on “the need to support the Lebanese Army in various ways to help it continue carrying out its tasks, and provide means to assist the soldiers in overcoming the precarious economic situation.”

Aoun then met the Minister of the Armed Forces of the French Republic, Florence Parly, in her office at the Ministry of Defense, and thanked her for her country's “continuous support” to the Lebnaese Army.

“France is always standing by LAF through aid, donations and joint training programs, and it is considered one of the most important countries in terms of support,” Aoun said.

The commander pointed out that the army is facing a “major crisis” that is “prone to more deterioration due to the perilous economic and social situation that Lebanon suffers from, which may become worse should the subsidizing of essential products be discontinued.”

Parly for her part stressed the need to support the Lebanese Army, which is a “key pillar of Lebanon's unity and stability.”

Aoun then moved to the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee HQ, where he attended a presentation about the tasks carried out by the French Armed Forces.