The provision of political and financial support to Lebanon by the European Union (EU) and the effective management of the migration issue are among the main objectives of the visit that Cyprus President Nikos Christodoulides and the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen will pay to the country on Thursday, Government Spokesman, Konstantinos Letymbiotis, said in a written statement on Tuesday.

Letymbiotis noted that the President of the Republic and the President of the European Commission, who will be in Cyprus on Wednesday to attend an event for  the 20th anniversary of Cyprus’ EU accession, will travel to Lebanon on Thursday, May 2, where they will meet with the country’s political leadership.

President Christodoulides and President von der Leyen will travel together to Beirut in the morning of 2 May, where they will be officially received by Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati.

Letymbiotis added that a private trilateral meeting among them will take place, to be followed by expanded talks between the delegations of the three parties.

As explained, the main objective of the visit will be to provide political and economic support to Lebanon by the EU, to discuss how to address the challenges facing the country as a consequence of regional developments, the effective management of migration and the implementation of the necessary reforms by Lebanon to promote the stability and prosperity of the country.

In his written statement, Letymbiotis also noted that “the President of the European Commission will present an Economic Support Package for Lebanon, the implementation of which was an initiative of President Christodoulides and the Republic of Cyprus and is a practical demonstration of the active role that the EU can play in the region”.

Statements will then be made to the media.

The spokesman noted that the President of the Republic and the President of the European Commission will then go to the Parliament, where they will have a meeting with its Speaker, Nabih Berri.

Later, the President of the Republic and the President of the European Commission will attend a lunch hosted by the Lebanese Prime Minister in their honour.

President Christodoulides, who will be accompanied by the Ministers of Foreign Affairs and the Interior, the Government Spokesman and the head of the Cyprus Intelligence Service / National Security Council, will return to Cyprus in the afternoon on the same day.