The Élysée announced that French President Emmanuel Macron has appointed former Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian as Special Envoy to Lebanon. Sources from the Élysée clarified that President Macron took into account "the difficult situation in Lebanon and his concern for the current state of affairs and the necessity to exit the complex, multifaceted crisis." Given his strong commitment to resolving the crisis, he wanted to appoint someone who represents him and is well-acquainted with Lebanon, the Lebanese landscape, and all the international players.
Jean-Yves Le Drian was born on June 30, 1947, in Lorient (Morbihan) and is a French politician. He is a member of the Socialist Party. He served as the Mayor of Lorient from 1981 to 1998 and as President of the Regional Council of Brittany from 2004 to 2012. In September 2010, he became the President of the Conference of Peripheral Maritime Regions of Europe. After being part of François Mitterrand's government from 1991 to 1992, he was appointed Minister of State for Maritime Affairs in Édith Cresson's government in 2012 and served as Minister of Defense in Jean-Marc Ayrault's government, retaining his position in Manuel Valls' government. He assumed the presidency of the Regional Council of Brittany in 2015. On May 17, 2017, he was appointed Minister of Foreign Affairs in Édouard Philippe's government under President Emmanuel Macron.
The special envoy is expected to have specific tasks during a time when Lebanon is facing economic crises and a vacancy in the presidential position.
