Why is France diplomatically close to Lebanon? Understand in three minutes

“The worsening situation in Lebanon, a country so dear and so close to France (…) here too requires our full mobilization. » During his general policy speech on Tuesday 1^is October, Michel Barnier followed a great French diplomatic tradition: that of wanting to guarantee the stability of Lebanon.

Since François Mitterrand, all French presidents have visited Lebanon at least once during their mandate. These trips were an opportunity for the French heads of state to recall the historical ties that bind the two nations.

Relations between the populations living in Lebanon and France are very old and complex. From the Crusades in the Middle Ages, the kings of France wanted to take on the role of protector of the Christian populations who lived in what is now Lebanon. Since then, this old relationship has evolved without ever disappearing.

Au XIV^e century, France intervened militarily to defend the Maronites of Mount Lebanon – Christians – then in conflict with another religious community, the Druze. Then, from the 1920s, what is now Lebanon became a French protectorate, until it gained independence in the early 1940s.

In this video, we look back on these centuries of history which explain the relations that France maintains with Lebanon today.

If you would like to know more about the current presence of French UNIFIL troops on the border between Lebanon and Israel, we invite you to read the article below.