The President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen and the President of Cyprus Nikos Christodoulidis is visiting Beirut today for talks with the Lebanese leadership on migration issues, BNR reported.
Brussels is ready to provide financial assistance to the Middle Eastern country to prevent migrant flows to Cyprus and Europe.
The joint visit was initiated by Cyprus, for which a very serious migration problem is the large number of Syrians arriving by sea from Lebanon.
Among the main topics of today's talks is the European Union's provision of political and economic support to Lebanon in return for a commitment by its authorities to take action to limit the traffic of migrants to Cyprus and Europe, announced government spokesman Konstantinos Lethimbiotis.
Ursula von der Leyen is expected to make announcements about the financial package proposed by Brussels.
According to preliminary information, the first phase of the aid is expected to be worth 400 million euros. European funds should help Lebanon stop migrant boats leaving its shores, combat traffickers operating on its territory, and create better housing conditions for Syrian refugees.
Helping Lebanon is part of the EU's efforts to negotiate agreements with neighboring countries to reduce migrant pressure on frontline member states, such as it already has with Tunisia and Egypt.