During her visit to Lebanon, Giorgia Meloni, President of the Council of Ministers, met with her Lebanese counterpart, Najib Mikati. During the meeting, Meloni emphasized Italy's willingness to continue contributing to Lebanon's security and stability, especially at this historic moment. The bilateral encounter provided an opportunity to convey concrete Italian closeness as well as a strong message about the importance of avoiding escalation near the border with Israel. More generally, the bilateral meeting included an in-depth discussion of the international situation, with a focus on the most recent developments in the Middle East and the situation on Lebanon's southern border. Meloni reinforced Italy's commitment in the fields of development cooperation, in which Italy is once again confirmed as one of the top donors globally, and security, where Italy is present in UNIFIL and with the bilateral military mission MIBIL. Mikati expressed appreciation for Italy's commitment to the UNIFIL mission and the Lebanese Armed Forces' training activities. The concerns on the bilateral agenda were also discussed, and the desire to expand trade was reiterated. The conference also focused on enhancing migration policy in the Mediterranean, with the goal of coordinating measures to combat irregular migration and human trafficking. Ultimately, a comprehensive discourse ensued with the intention of investigating political resolutions to the persistent refugee situation in Lebanon.
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