European diplomacy chief Josep Borrell, Nov. 18, 2024 in Brussels. (Credit: Nicolas Tucat/AFP)
The head of European diplomacy, Josep Borrell, will visit Lebanon on Sunday, as part of a tour of the Middle East scheduled for Nov. 20-24.
Borrell's tour will begin on Wednesday in Jordan, with a meeting with King Abdullah II in Amman, and continue on Thursday with a meeting with Jordan's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Affairs Minister, Ayman Safadi. Borrell will also meet with Palestinian leaders. He will then travel to Cyprus on Friday, where he will give a speech on Saturday at an event organized by the Israel/Palestine Two-State Coalition.
In Beirut, Borrell is scheduled to meet with outgoing Prime Minister Najib Mikati, parliamentary leader Nabih Berri, Lebanese army commander Joseph Aoun and U.N. representatives in the country.
The tour comes “against the backdrop of the catastrophic situation in Gaza and the military escalation in Lebanon ... and will be an opportunity to continue discussing with partners in the region a possible path towards a lasting cease-fire in Gaza and Lebanon, and a longer-term process based on the two-state solution,” reads a statement.