Lebanese welcome the launch of the Saudi-French Support Fund

A wave of relief is prevailing in the political and economic circles in Lebanon with the launch of the Saudi-French Fund to support food security and the health sector in the country, which is suffering from a living and economic crisis without a clear prospect of exit.

The Lebanese watched with interest the signing of the “Memorandum of Understanding by the Saudi-French Fund for the Support of the Lebanese People”, the signing of the “Memorandum of Understanding by the Saudi-French Fund for the Support of the Lebanese People” by the Saudi Ambassador, Walid Bukhari, and French Ambassador Anne Greu, the representative of the French Foreign Ministry. By the way, Bukhari said that this partnership aims to support humanitarian and relief work in Lebanon with the highest standards of transparency, as the funding aims to support 6 main sectors: food security, health, education, energy, water and internal security. He added, “We perform our duties towards Lebanon without discrimination between one sect or another, as Saudi Arabia has devoted distinguished efforts full of giving and the human spirit.”

In turn, French Ambassador Anne Greu stressed during the signing of the memorandum the importance of France’s work with Saudi Arabia to support the Lebanese people in facing their humanitarian crises. A statement by the French Embassy in Beirut said that this agreement “provides financial support worth about 30 million euros for the implementation of a series of projects in the humanitarian and development fields,” noting that the agreement represents an important stage in implementing the commitment made by the Minister of Europe and Foreign Affairs and his Saudi counterpart in Paris. On February 28, in order to provide France and Saudi Arabia with emergency financial support for projects intended for needy populations in Lebanon, in accordance with the directives of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and French President Emmanuel Macron on December 4 last in Jeddah.

Former Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora affirmed that he hopes for the best from this agreement, and said that it is another evidence of the blessed step that took place with the return of the ambassadors of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar and Yemen to Lebanon. He added, “The importance of this agreement is its symbolism that there is cooperation by Saudi Arabia and France in order to provide aid to Lebanese institutions, which will positively affect the living and social conditions in all Lebanese regions.”
.