Italian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Antonio Tajani has just landed in Beirut for a series of institutional meetings, including with newly elected President of Lebanon Joseph Aoun, Foreign Minister Bou Habib and Speaker of Parliament Nabih Berri.
At the centre of the talks was Italy’s firm support for the stabilisation and pacification process in Lebanon. “The election of President Aoun represents an historic moment for Lebanon and an important signal for the entire Middle East region,” said Minister Tajani. “We are working to ensure that the ceasefire with Israel may represent the first step towards a sustainable peace,” added the Minister, who concluded by underlining Italy’s commitment to the stability and security of the Israeli-Lebanese border through the Italian contingent deployed in UNIFIL, the ten-year bilateral training mission of the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) and the leadership of the Technical-Military Committee for Lebanon.
Lebanon is one of the main recipients of humanitarian and development interventions by the Italian Cooperation. Italy has allocated a total of EUR 17 million of humanitarian aid to Lebanon during the recent crisis, with a new contribution of EUR 10 million allocated during the Humanitarian Conference held last October in Pescara.
