The Prime Minister of Lebanon thanks Spain for its support and the work of the Spanish head of UNIFIL

Eduardo González The President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, received this Wednesday in Madrid the Prime Minister of Lebanon, Najib Mikati, with whom he addressed the complex geopolitical situation in the region, including the current ceasefire and the events in Syria, and who thanked him for Spain's support for his country and praised the work of the commander-in-chief of the international contingent of the UN mission (UNIFIL), the Spanish Lieutenant General Aroldo Lázaro. According to a press release from Moncloa, the third meeting between the two leaders took place “two weeks after the ceasefire agreement with Israel came into effect and five days after the fall of Bashar al-Assad in Syria, which has caused great political upheaval in the region and may affect Lebanon.” The meeting took place at the La Moncloa complex and was attended by the Lebanese ambassador to Spain, Hala Kairouz, and the Spanish ambassador to Beirut, Jesús Santos Aguado. Sánchez and Mikati discussed, among other aspects, the ceasefire agreement reached between Lebanon and Israel and agreed on the need for it to “be long-lasting so that it becomes a permanent cessation of hostilities and paves the way for the full implementation of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1701.” The President of the Government referred to the difficult circumstances in which UNIFIL, one of the parties that will oversee the implementation of the agreement, has been working, and reiterated that Spain supports the decision of the United Nations to maintain the mission and its willingness to explore ways to continue strengthening it in this new phase. Sánchez conveyed to the Prime Minister of Lebanon all of Spain's solidarity after all these months of war and informed him that his country has been included as a priority for Spanish Cooperation in the new Master Plan 2024-2027 and that Spanish aid has increased by 60% in 2024, reaching the figure of 10.2 million euros. He also assured him that Spain will support Lebanon in its reconstruction efforts and warned that displaced persons must be able to return to their homes as a matter of justice, but also as a way of stabilising the area. On the other hand, Pedro Sánchez stressed that a peaceful and stable Syria is needed, “for the benefit of the Syrian people and all countries in the region, especially Lebanon,” and advocated “an orderly political transition for the Syrian people, maintaining the territorial integrity of the country and avoiding further escalation in the region.” For his part, Mikati thanked Sánchez for his “constant support for Lebanon at all levels,” especially in terms of development, and discussed with the head of the Executive “the constructive role” played by Lieutenant General Aroldo Lázaro, as reported by the Lebanese Prime Minister through social networks. “We affirm Lebanon’s commitment to United Nations Resolution 1701 and underline the priority of Israel’s commitment to the ceasefire resolution and the withdrawal from the cities,” he concluded.

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