Maronite Patriarch Beshara Rai will travel to Paris next week at the invitation of President Emmanuel Macron in what is seen as part of France’s efforts to reiterate Lebanon’s importance in the French-speaking world.
During his two-day stay starting May 28, Rai will meet with Macron and other high-ranking officials.
Lebanon was under a French mandate from after World War I until 1943 and ties between the two countries have remained strong.
French is one of the three main languages spoken in Lebanon, along with English and Arabic. However, its prevalence has lost some ground as English has gained global prominence.
“France wants to strengthen Lebanon’s stance as a Francophone state and instill the French language in Lebanese academia and culture,” a Bkirki source said.
“France also wants the relations between the two countries to be even stronger than they were previously,” the source added.
Local daily Al Joumhouria reported Tuesday that France was disappointed over schools and universities in Lebanon gradually moving away from the French language toward English curricula. However, the Bkirki source dismissed the report as just “media talk.”
Rai is also expected to urge France and the international community to continue to help Lebanon insulate itself from the impact of regional conflicts. Macron, along with Egypt and the United States, played a key role in resolving a crisis sparked by the later-withdrawn resignation of Prime Minister Saad Hariri in November last year that thrust Lebanon into the center of regional jockeying between Saudi Arabia and Iran.
In his meeting with Macron, Rai is expected to speak about the position of Christians in Lebanon and the wider region and the need for strengthened ties between the Maronite community and France.
Lebanon’s Christian community has long called Paris “the caring mother.” In September 2017, President Michel Aoun – a Maronite – joined Macron in Paris in inaugurating an exhibition on Christians in the region titled “Oriental Christians: 2,000 Years of History” at the Arab World Institute.
Rai will also raise the issue of the Syrian refugee crisis in Lebanon and the urgent need for a solution, which he believes Macron can influence, the source said.
France hosted an international donor conference in April to support the Lebanese economy, garnering over $11 billion in pledges for grants and soft loans.
Rai will also meet with French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian and French Senate leader Gerard Larcher during the visit.
This article has been adapted from its original source.
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