Jordan's King heads to France for international meeting supporting Lebanese army

Jordan's King Abdullah II left Amman on Wednesday heading to France, where he will participate in chairing an international meeting aimed at supporting the Lebanese army.

A royal court statement said that King Abdullah will hold talks in Paris with French President Emmanuel Macron and Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, and will co-chair with them a meeting "to discuss ways to support the Lebanese army."

The Paris-hosted meeting will open Thursday, led by the French president alongside his Lebanese counterpart, with participation from chiefs of staff or senior military officials from France, the United Kingdom, Jordan, Lebanon, and the United States, and Saudi Arabia will also be represented.

France's presidential office stated the goal of this meeting is to discuss a "clear, credible, and realistic" deployment plan for Lebanon’s armed forces, paving the way for international support that is "strong and operational," whether through financial aid, equipment provision, or training.

Following this meeting, King Abdullah will travel to Prague, where he will meet Czech Republic President Peter Pavlík and Prime Minister Andrej Babiš.

King Abdullah will conclude his tour, accompanied by Queen Rania Al Abdullah, in New York, where he will attend sessions of the United Nations General Assembly and deliver a speech at the opening session of the 81st session.

Additional meetings with leaders and heads of delegations participating in the sessions will also take place on the sidelines, according to a royal court statement.