The French presidency issued a joint statement on the occasion of President Emmanuel Macron’s visit to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

The statement dealt with the Lebanese file, revealing that the two sides stressed the need for the Lebanese government to implement comprehensive reforms, especially the commitment to implement the Taif Agreement, which guarantees national unity and civil peace in Lebanon.

The two parties considered, according to the statement, that these reforms should focus in particular on the financial and energy sectors, combating corruption and border control. The two sides also agreed to work with Lebanon to ensure the implementation of these measures.

They stressed that arms should be strictly limited to legitimate state institutions, and that Lebanon should not be a source of any terrorist act that destabilizes the region or in the export of drugs.

In addition, the statement said that the Saudi and French sides stressed the importance of strengthening the role of the Lebanese army in maintaining Lebanon’s security and stability, and agreed to continue consultations between the two countries on all these files.

They also agreed to establish a French-Saudi humanitarian aid mechanism within a framework that guarantees complete transparency, and demonstrated their determination to find appropriate mechanisms to alleviate the suffering of the Lebanese people, in cooperation with friendly and allied countries.

They also stressed the importance of maintaining Lebanon’s stability and respecting its sovereignty and unity, in accordance with Security Council resolutions (1559), (1701) and (1680) and the relevant international resolutions.