(MENAFN) France will grant 14 million euros (USD17 million) to Lebanon, in a package including training and equipment such as anti-tank missiles, an official announced on Thursday.
As well as lifting its security amid growing internal political tensions, the aid is part of efforts to strengthen Lebanon's institutions.
Lebanon-Saudi relations have been tensed by a spell of diplomatic spats, court cases, and a widely-held view that Saudi Arabia is waging the proxy war against its arch foe, Iran, whose Lebanese ally Hizballah is part of the Beirut government, on Lebanese soil.
"The new Saudi leadership doesn't have the same relationship with Lebanon as in the past and no longer wants to invest billions in the country," the French official said.
"So we are in a phase where we are consolidating the situation."
Lebanon's defense minister was in Paris on Thursday to prepare the first of three conferences aimed at helping different sectors in the country.
An event on March 15 in Rome is intended to support the army, one on April 6 in Paris to aid the private sector, and another on April 25 in Brussels to address the refugee issue.
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