French defense minister flies to Qatar and Egypt today

The French Minister of Defense, Sebastien Lecornu, is in Qatar today for his second visit in 48 hours, Report informs via Agenzia Nova.

According to what the French broadcaster BFM TV reports, Lecornu has been on a diplomatic trip to the Middle East since the beginning of the week. The minister was supposed to conclude the tour yesterday, but he decided to return to Qatar where a meeting with the prime minister is scheduled, Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani.

Qatar is involved in mediating with Hamas for the release of the hostages kidnapped on October 7 and according to data from the Israeli Armed Forces, 8 French citizens are in the hands of the Palestinian Islamist movement. “Thanks to Qatar for the work undertaken to free the hostages, including several Frenchmen,” Lecornu wrote on X on Thursday on the occasion of his first visit to Doha.

This afternoon, after the stop in Qatar, Lecornu is expected in Egypt where a meeting with the president is scheduled Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi. Also in this case it is a second visit to Cairo, after the visit on November 15. At the center of the talks are always the themes of the release of hostages, humanitarian aid in Gaza, the prevention of escalation at a regional level and a political solution to the ongoing conflict.