Lebanon's outgoing Prime Minister, Nagib Mikati, welcomed Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni at the Grand Serail on Wednesday, following her arrival in Beirut.
Giorgia Meloni and Nagib Mikati © Grand Serail
Lebanon's outgoing Prime Minister, Nagib Mikati, welcomed Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni at the Grand Serail on Wednesday, following her arrival in Beirut.
The Italian premier's agenda includes inspecting the Italian contingent of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), stationed at the border between Lebanon and northern Israel, where exchanges of fire between Hezbollah and the Israeli army have escalated in recent days.
Italian State Secretary Giovanbattista Fazzolari and Italy's Ambassador to Lebanon, Nicoletta Bombardieri, attended the meeting from the Italian side, along with Lebanon's outgoing Foreign Minister, Abdallah Bou Habib.
The discussions also focused on the issue of Syrian refugees in Lebanon and illegal migrants in the Mediterranean region, as well as the necessity of unblocking the Lebanese presidential election after nearly a year and a half of vacancy since the end of Michel Aoun's term in late October 2022.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio hosted the first direct talks between Israel and Lebanon in decades on Tuesday and both sides said they held positive discussions although it was not immediately clear if they agreed to a framework for peace.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar has signaled his country's desire for full normalization with Lebanon, just ahead of a key round of peace talks scheduled in Washington.
Israeli and Lebanese envoys will meet for U.S.-mediated talks in Washington on Tuesday as U.S. President Donald Trump seeks to calm weeks of Israeli fighting with Iran-backed Hezbollah that has threatened to derail a fragile U.S.-Iran ceasefire.
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