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

The Prime Minister arrived at the Élysée Palace around 12:30 French time (1:30 p.m. Beirut time), where President Macron greeted him at the entrance. They shook hands in front of the cameras and commemorative 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, attended on the Lebanese side by the Commander-in-Chief of the Army, General Joseph Aoun, and President Mikati's diplomatic advisor, Ambassador Boutros Asaker.

On the French side, the French ambassador to Lebanon, Hervé Magro, the chief of staff of the French armies, General Thierry Burkhard, the special advisor to the French president, Emmanuel Bonne, the advisor to the French president for Middle East 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.

President Macron renewed "the confirmation of France's support for the Lebanese army in all areas and underlined the need to preserve stability in Lebanon and distance it 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 electing a new Lebanese president and benefiting from international support in this context to successfully complete this entitlement, 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 does not have a specific candidate, citing the convergence of approaches proposed by the French and American sides."

The subject of Syrian refugees in Lebanon was also discussed, and the French side promised to help resolve 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 he constantly deploys to put an end to Israeli aggression against Lebanon and to support the army with equipment and expertise to enable it to fully accomplish its missions. We particularly addressed the issue of Syrian refugees and I explained to President Macron the risks that Lebanon faces due to the enormous number of refugees. I reiterated the call to the international community to fulfill its obligations in resolving this problem, the repercussions of which will affect the world. 'Europe in particular'.

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

The Prime Minister left the Élysée Palace at 3:30 p.m. French time.