European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen during a press conference at a European Union summit in Brussels, Belgium, on Dec. 19, 2025. (Credit: Stephanie Lecocq/Reuters)
BEIRUT — EU chief Ursula von der Leyen arrived at the VIP terminal in Beirut's airport on Friday, where she was welcomed by Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, the state-run National News Agency (NNA) reported.
The European delegation is set to meet with President Joseph Aoun and other officials, to "further strengthen the EU-Lebanon partnership, focusing on prosperity, security and stability," the European Commission had said in a statement on Wednesday.
The visit comes a day after the Lebanese Army announced it had completed the first stage of a plan to remove weapons from nonstate groups, including Hezbollah.
The delegation was in Jordan on Thursday. It met earlier on Friday with Syrian interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa in Syria before heading to Lebanon.
Von der Leyen posted on X from Syria that “after decades of fear and silence, Syrians began a long journey toward hope and renewal. Europe will do everything it can to support Syria’s recovery and reconstruction.”
The EU is a key financial donor for Damascus and has rolled back sanctions imposed during the civil war to try to boost reconstruction efforts.
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