The French Minister of the Armed Forces, Florence Parly, arrived Thursday August 13 in Beirut for a support visit to Lebanon after the explosion which devastated the capital, during which she will welcome the helicopter carrier Le Tonnerre in charge of aid . " It is a support visit, which serves in particular to reiterate the messages of the President of the Republic (..) and which reflects the major role of France in the crisis response ," Noor Akl told AFP, press secretary of the French embassy in Beirut.
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The minister's office also indicated on Wednesday that one of the objectives was " to clear the port to make it operational again ". This trip comes a week after that of President Emmanuel Macron, who promised aid to the Lebanese and urged the authorities to initiate structural reforms in order to benefit from international reconstruction aid.
Two naval vessels deployed
Ms. Parly's visit also comes at the height of tension in the eastern Mediterranean, an area rich in hydrocarbons and disputed between Turkey and Greece. France has temporarily deployed two Rafale fighters and two French Navy vessels there, according to a statement from the French Ministry of the Armed Forces on Thursday.
In Beirut, Florence Parly is due to tour the site of the explosion, due to a large quantity of ammonium nitrate stored at the port, and to meet with President Michel Aoun as well as with the commander-in-chief of the Lebanese army, Joseph Aoun.
The minister is to welcome the Tonnerre overnight from Thursday to Friday, which is transporting an engineering group from the Army as well as a detachment of demining divers from the French Navy, in order to verify that there is no wrecks making it difficult to access the port. Food aid, especially wheat, as well as construction materials supplied by various French ministries and private companies are also transported by the helicopter carrier.