Lebanese Army Chief, General Joseph Aoun, welcomed at his Yarzé office on Wednesday, the Chief-of-Staff of the French Army General François Lecointre leading a delegation, the National News Agency (NNA) reported.
The meeting was held in the presence of French Ambassador to Lebanon, Anne Grillo.
The agency said that talks featured high on the bilateral cooperation ties between the Lebanese and French armies.
Media reports said Lecointre’s visit came to compensate for the visit of French President Emmanuel Macron, which he canceled after retracting coronavirus.
His agenda will not include any activity towards political officials, but is limited to his meeting with the Army Chief at a direct request from Macron to convey a special message from the French President, said al-Markazia Central News Agency.
According to unnamed sources, the message conveys the French state’s insistence on considering the Lebanese army under its current leadership, a safety valve for Lebanon, with emphasis on France’s permanent and continuous support.
France aims to make clear that its main reliance is on the Lebanese Army and its role in this difficult time in Lebanon’s history, they added.