France and Saudi Arabia agreed on Monday to fund humanitarian projects aimed at assisting the Lebanese people. The decision came during a meeting in Paris between the two foreign ministers, Jean-Yves Le Drian and Prince Faisal bin Farhan.
“The discussions session witnessed follow-up on the bilateral coordination between the Kingdom and France over the developments in Lebanon and the difficult situations that the Lebanese people are going through,” their official statement said.
The assistance will be offered to provide relief and public aid in Lebanon, such as in hospitals and healthcare centers.
The humanitarian aid will also help some educational institutions and non-governmantal organizations, along with helping in the distribution of baby formulas and food to the most marginalized groups of the population.
The meeting at the French Foreign Ministry addressed the coordination between the two countries in regards to Lebanon and the suffering of the Lebanese people due to the severe economic crisis.
The talks between France and Saudi Arabia also focused on the latest regional and international developments.
Saudi Arabia’s willingness to assist comes as a turn of events amid its ongoing diplomatic and trade embargo against Lebanon.
The embargo by KSA and some Arab Gulf states, which has been harsh on Lebanon in trade and diplomacy, ensued as a consequence of the statements by former Information Minister Kordahi against the gulf war in Yemen.
However, its main purpose has been to pressure the Lebanese government against Hezbollah, Iran proxy in Lebanon and in the government.
The people in Lebanon and many businesses, including in the agriculture and trade sectors, have been paying the price amid a harsh economic crisis.
KSA teaming up now with France to provide humanitarian relief could ease some of that burden on the people and probably lead eventually to reinstate the friendly relations between both countries.
