French President Emmanuel Macron spoke, via phone call, with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, on Saturday, and the two leaders agreed to cooperate on deeper levels "to meet the humanitarian needs"  of Lebanon, according to a statement issued by the Elysee.

The French presidency indicated that "the conversation focused particularly on Lebanon, where Macron stressed the need to elect a president as soon as possible so that the program of structural reforms necessary for the country's recovery is implemented."

President Michel Aoun's term expired on October 31, and the divided parliament met five times without being able to elect a successor at a time when the country is spiraling deeper into an economic crisis.

The Elysee added that Macron "agreed with the Saudi crown prince to continue and strengthen their cooperation to meet the humanitarian needs of the people of Lebanon."

Macron and bin Salman also spoke about the threats to the stability of the region, and "expressed their desire to strengthen the strategic partnership linking the two countries."

Emmanuel Macron, according to the statement, said that "Saudi Arabia can count on France's support to ensure its security."

Finally, the two leaders expressed their desire to "strengthen the economic ties between their countries, especially in the field of energy."

On a different note, Macron will participate in the G20 summit in Bali on Sunday, however, the French president has not indicated whether or not he will be meeting with bin Salman on the sidelines of the summit.

With regards to the G20 summit and sideline meetings between leaders, US President Joe Biden has ruled out meeting the Saudi Crown Prince following the OPEC+ debacle.

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