# France reaffirms support for Lebanese sovereignty after ministerial visit > France’s foreign ministry reported the outcome of Jean-Noël Barrot and Alice Rufo’s October 17–18 visit to Lebanon. - Canonical URL: https://newsverum.com/en/news/france-lebanon-ministerial-visit-backs-state-sovereignty-2026 - Publisher: Newsverum - Section: Government - Country: France - Published: 2026-10-19T09:46:56+00:00 - Updated: 2026-10-19T09:46:56+00:00 - Event / data period: 2026-10-18 - Other editions: [Türkçe](https://newsverum.com/tr/news/france-lebanon-ministerial-visit-backs-state-sovereignty-2026.md), [العربية](https://newsverum.com/ar/news/france-lebanon-ministerial-visit-backs-state-sovereignty-2026.md), [Français](https://newsverum.com/fr/news/france-lebanon-ministerial-visit-backs-state-sovereignty-2026.md), [Español](https://newsverum.com/es/news/france-lebanon-ministerial-visit-backs-state-sovereignty-2026.md), [Deutsch](https://newsverum.com/de/news/france-lebanon-ministerial-visit-backs-state-sovereignty-2026.md), [Português](https://newsverum.com/pt/news/france-lebanon-ministerial-visit-backs-state-sovereignty-2026.md) France’s foreign ministry said Jean-Noël Barrot and Alice Rufo visited Lebanon on October 17 and 18. They met President Joseph Aoun, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, parliamentary speaker Nabih Berri and army commander General Haykal. Rufo also met Defence Minister Michel Menassa. The ministers reaffirmed French support for restoring Lebanese sovereignty and functioning institutions throughout the country. Their statement emphasized strengthening the Lebanese Armed Forces and implementing the state’s monopoly on weapons, with France prepared to contribute to that objective. ## Data ### Lebanon visit and France’s stated position Dates, policy priorities and institutional timeline stated in the French foreign ministry’s 18 October 2026 communiqué. Methodology: This qualitative table organizes information in the ministry’s 18 October statement. Dates and timelines are reproduced as reported; no outcome or additional decision is inferred. Times not specified as a day remain null; no exact day is inferred from the year-end wording for UNIFIL. | Item | Source-stated detail | Stated start date | Stated end date | |---|---|---|---| | Visit dates | 17–18 October 2026 | 2026-10-17 | 2026-10-18 | | Main policy focus | Lebanese sovereignty, ceasefire, armed forces and state authority over weapons | | | | UNIFIL transition | UNIFIL mandate is due to end at the end of 2026 | | | | EU support mission | EU decision establishing the EU Support Mission to Lebanon was adopted on 12 October 2026 | 2026-10-12 | 2026-10-12 | Sources: · Download data: [JSON](https://newsverum.com/api/v1/articles/france-lebanon-ministerial-visit-backs-state-sovereignty-2026/data/visit-and-policy-record?lang=en&format=json) · [CSV](https://newsverum.com/api/v1/articles/france-lebanon-ministerial-visit-backs-state-sovereignty-2026/data/visit-and-policy-record?lang=en&format=csv) ## Sources - [France Diplomatie (Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs)]() (Source checked: 2026-10-19; Published: 2026-10-18) --- Cite the canonical URL above. [Editorial standards and corrections](https://newsverum.com/en/editorial)