Prime Minister Najib Mikati spent three hours at the Elysee Palace, where he was received by French President Emmanuel Macron. They held an extended meeting which discussed Franco-Lebanese relations as well as the current situation in Lebanon and in the region.

The Prime Minister arrived at the Elysee Palace around half past noon in French time (half past one in the afternoon Beirut time), where President Macron welcomed him at the entrance. They shook hands in front of the cameras and memorial photos were taken.

Then Macron and Mikati entered the palace, where they had a long meeting that lasted about an hour.

They attended an extended working lunch, in which the Army Commander, General Joseph Aoun, and the diplomatic adviser to President Mikati, Ambassador Pierre Dousser, participated on the Lebanese side. On the French side, the French ambassador to Lebanon, Hervé Magro, the chief of staff of the French armies, General Thierry Burkhard, the special adviser to the French president, Emmanuel Bonne, the adviser to the French president for Middle Eastern affairs, Anne Claire Legendre, the French presidential envoy Jean-Yves Le Drian, the director of the Middle East and North Africa at the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Anne Grillo participated.

President Macron renewed "the confirmation of France's support for the Lebanese army in all areas, and stressed the need to preserve stability in Lebanon and keep it away from the repercussions of the ongoing events in Gaza".

He also reaffirmed "the initiative concerning the solution in the south, presented by France last February, with some adjustments taking into account current developments".

The French side also reiterated "the priority of the election of a new Lebanese president and to benefit from international support in this context to complete this deadline, while taking advantage of the unified position of the group of 5 countries".

The French side stressed that "France supports what is agreed by the Lebanese and has no specific candidate, evoking the convergence of approaches proposed by the French and American sides".

The topic of Syrian refugees in Lebanon was also discussed, and the French side promised to help solve this problem at the European Union level.

At the end of the meeting, Prime Minister Mikati said: "I expressed to President Macron Lebanon's thanks for France's constant support in all areas. I also thanked him for the efforts that he is constantly making to put an end to the Israeli aggression against Lebanon and to support the army with equipment and expertise in order to allow it to fully carry out its missions. We particularly discussed the issue of Syrian refugees and I explained to President Macron the risks that Lebanon faces due to the huge number of refugees. I reiterated the appeal to the international community to fulfill its obligations in solving this problem, the repercussions of which will affect Europe in particular".

He added: "I asked President Macron to raise the issue of the creation of safe zones in Syria, with the European Union, which would facilitate the return of refugees to their country and their support at international and European level in Syria rather than in Lebanon".

The Prime Minister left the Elysee Palace at 15:30 French time.