President Joseph Aoun (left), welcomed by Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez in Madrid on Monday, Feb. 2, 2026.
President Joseph Aoun paid a state visit to Spain on Sunday and Monday, during which he met with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, discussing support for the Lebanese Army and the presence of Spanish peacekeepers as part of UNIFIL in southern Lebanon since 2006.
During this trip, he also met with King Felipe VI of Spain at the Royal Palace of La Zarzuela.
Following his meeting with the Prime Minister, three memoranda of understanding were signed, covering diplomatic training, agriculture, and cultural cooperation, particularly between the national libraries of the two countries.
Three memoranda of understanding signed
According to a statement from the Spanish government, the first agreement establishes cooperation in the field of training and development for diplomatic and consular officials.
The second, valid for three years and renewable, concerns the development of agricultural policies, animal and plant health, scientific and laboratory cooperation, and marketing systems.
The third agreement, which will be implemented over the next four years, aims to strengthen the exchange of books and publications, cooperation on heritage, archives, and bibliography.
Lebanese Foreign Minister Joe Rajji, who was present at the meeting, welcomed these agreements in a post on his X account, stressing that they "aim to strengthen bilateral cooperation between Lebanon and Spain."
Meeting with the King of Spain
President Aoun concluded his visit with a meeting with King Felipe VI, emphasizing "the depth of the historical relations that unite Lebanon and Spain, reflected in the mutual respect between the two peoples and Spain's constant support for Lebanon and its causes."
The Spanish monarch, for his part, recalled "the historic friendship between the two countries," noting that their diplomatic relations "date back many years."
According to an official statement released by the state-run National News Agency (NNA), Aoun emphasized “the importance Lebanon attaches to Madrid’s participation in the international conference in support of the Lebanese Army,” scheduled in Paris on March 5. In response, the Spanish prime minister assured that “Spain will be represented at a ministerial level.”
This international conference in Paris, set to be inaugurated by President Emmanuel Macron, is organized by the Quintet (France, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Qatar, and the United States) and aims to strengthen the Lebanese Army's role in enforcing the cease-fire and its further deployment to southern Lebanon.
Following the latest Israeli war on Lebanon, which escalated in 2024 and ended with a weakened Hezbollah, the army was tasked by Nawaf Salam's government, following decisions made in August 2025, to restore national `sovereignty over the entire territory and secure the state's monopoly on weapons, which in practice means the disarmament of Hezbollah.
The army claims to have already taken control south of the Litani River and is preparing to launch the second phase to assert control north of the Litani.
Aoun and Sanchez also discussed Spain's historical participation in the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), particularly since 2006.
Aoun asked about the possibility of maintaining Spanish troops in southern Lebanon after the planned final withdrawal of UNIFIL at the end of 2027, following the most recent Security Council resolution passed in the summer of 2025.
According to a presidential statement, talks are underway on this issue between Spain, Italy, and Austria. For his part, Sanchez said that “the possibility of retaining Spanish forces after the UNIFIL withdrawal will be examined with the European Union.”
Moreover, Aoun thanked Sanchez for his country's tough stance against Israel's continued attacks on southern Lebanon, even after the November 2024 cease-fire.
He stressed the need to “continue efforts toward a just and comprehensive peace in the Middle East,” through “a solution to the Palestinian issue in accordance with the Arab Peace Initiative of the Arab League's Beirut Summit in 2002,” notably the creation of a Palestinian state.
Economic cooperation was also on the meeting's agenda, which was attended by Lebanese Foreign Minister Joe Rajji.
For his part, Rajji recalled "the central role that Spain can play within the European Union in putting pressure on Israel to end its repeated violations of Lebanese sovereignty, withdraw from the positions it still occupies in southern Lebanon, and release the detainees."
Toward more developed trade exchange
Aoun called for Spain’s support to help Lebanon achieve “a strategic and comprehensive partnership with the European Union,” as well as for the development of bilateral trade.
He specifically advocated for an increase in Lebanese exports to Spain and a reduction in the trade deficit, by facilitating access for Lebanese products to the Spanish market.
The president also stressed the importance of reviving tourism between the two countries, calling for the lifting of travel restrictions for Spanish nationals to Lebanon after the return to security stability.
In response, Sanchez assured Aoun of “Spain’s determination to strengthen economic relations with Lebanon at various levels,” and mentioned the imminent signing of several bilateral agreements.
He also highlighted "the strength of relations with this Mediterranean country, which is one of Spain's priority countries for cooperation under the 2024-2027 Cooperation Master Plan," according to the Spanish government. Finally, he announced that in January 2024, the Spanish government had decided to "quadruple the aid provided by the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID) to Lebanon, reaching €30 million over the next three years."
