Brussels, 21/01/2016 (Agence Europe) - During their meeting in Brussels on Thursday 21 January, European Council President Donald Tusk and Lebanon's Prime Minister Tammam Salam agreed to do more to help Syrian refugees.
Ahead of the London conference - Supporting Syria and the Region - on 4 February, “we agreed to do more to address the needs of refugees and host communities. This includes by creating job opportunities and providing education”, Tusk said in a press release. He added that the EU was “committed” to supporting Lebanon to address the consequences of the Syrian crisis sustainably.
Tusk also commended Lebanon's efforts in the fight against violent extremism and terrorism, and said he hoped the EU and Beirut would strengthen their cooperation still further in this domain.
He again reiterated the EU's call to all Lebanese political forces to elect a new president and to foster reforms to strengthen democracy, justice and the rule of law. The previous president, Michel Sleiman, resigned in May 2014 and no candidate has since been able to obtain the required majority in parliament to be elected.
“The EU is committed to working with Lebanon, especially during challenging times. We will continue our joint efforts to make the EU-Lebanon partnership stronger”, Tusk concluded. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)