FRANCE PLEDGES $119 MILLION IN DIRECT AID TO THE LEBANESE PEOPLE

Wed 04 August 2021:

France will supply Lebanon with 500,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccine and 100 million Euros ($119 million) in assistance, according to French President Emmanuel Macron.

Macron made the statement at an international virtual conference on Lebanon co-hosted by France and the United Nations on Wednesday.

“We intend to send about 100 million euros for direct aid for the Lebanese population in the coming months,” he said, specifying that the funds are intended to be spent on education, including school children and students, and food assistance.

The absolute priority of France’s support for Lebanon, however, is the middle Eastern country’s health care system, Macron said.

“I would like to announce that 500,000 coronavirus vaccine doses will be sent to Lebanon in the coming weeks,” the president said.

Macron went on to say that France will assist Lebanon in rebuilding the Beirut port, which was destroyed by an explosion in August. The accident, which took at least 280 people and nearly entirely devastated the Lebanese capital’s harbor sector, occurred one year ago on Tuesday.

Since 2019, Lebanon has been suffering from a deep economic crisis. The national Currency has lost over 80% of its value, while the population is facing a shortage of fuel and other essentials.

File Photo: French President Emmanuel Macron in Beirut, August 6, 2020.

———————————————————————————————————————-

FOLLOW INDEPENDENT PRESS:

TWITTER (CLICK HERE)
https://twitter.com/IpIndependent