President of the National Dialogue Party, MP Fouad Makhzoumi, received the European parliamentary delegation at his office in downtown Beirut. The delegation included former Romanian Prime Minister and Member of the European Parliament Dacian Cioloș; European Parliament Defence Committee member Christophe Grudler; French MP and member of the Foreign Affairs Committee Salima Yenbou; and MP Georgios Christos.

The meeting was attended by Political Adviser Carol Zouein, MPs Bilal Hchaime, Elias Estefan, Adib Abdel Massih, and Ragy El Saad, as well as journalist Ali Hamadeh.

During the meeting, the MPs continued discussions previously held with the European delegation in Brussels, following the Lebanese delegation’s visits to Stockholm, Brussels, and Washington in April and May, led by Makhzoumi. Participants continued discussing the issues addressed in Western capitals, particularly the presidential elections and the latest developments in Lebanon, amid the continued failure to elect a president of the republic and deep divisions over the matter.

The MPs had briefed the European delegation on their reform roadmap, which they had prepared and which had received the approval of the political blocs represented in the delegation.

The MPs reiterated the need to elect a president of the republic from outside the corrupt political establishment and stressed that no president should be imposed on the Lebanese people. They emphasized that Lebanon needs a president capable of leading the country toward recovery, committed to national sovereignty, and equipped with a clear and effective reform program.

They noted that state institutions could not function properly without a president of the republic and a prime minister who share these same qualifications and make implementing reforms and reaching an agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) their top priorities.

The MPs also reaffirmed their commitment to reaching an agreement with the IMF, describing it as an essential prerequisite for implementing reforms and the only way to restore the international community’s confidence in Lebanon and rebuild its relations with the Gulf states, particularly Saudi Arabia, which continues to provide Lebanon with extensive support and care.