Minister of Justice Adel Nassar wrapped up an official visit to France after a series of high-level meetings in Paris aimed at deepening bilateral judicial cooperation and advancing Lebanon’s institutional reform agenda.

The visit focused on enhancing collaboration between the two countries in judicial organization and sharing best practices in institutional restructuring. Discussions underscored the importance of modernizing Lebanon’s justice system and safeguarding judicial independence.

A key stop on the minister’s agenda was a meeting with his French counterpart Gérald Darmanin at the French Ministry of Justice. The talks centered on ways France can support Lebanon’s reform drive, with Darmanin reaffirming his country’s full readiness to support this process through technical cooperation, the exchange of expertise, and the implementation of specialized training programs for Lebanon’s judicial institutions.

The two sides also discussed the possibility of Darmanin visiting Lebanon at the earliest opportunity to follow up on the partnership.

Nassar’s visit included talks with Christophe Soulard, President of the French Court of Cassation, and Rémy Heitz, First President of the Court of Cassation and Public Prosecutor at the court. The meetings addressed the role of judicial councils in promoting transparency, professional accountability, and the independence of the judiciary. Both sides also explored ways to activate direct cooperation between the French and Lebanese judicial bodies.

The Lebanese minister also met with Stéphane Noël, Inspector General at the French Ministry of Justice, for talks on judicial governance and the development of oversight and evaluation systems in both judicial and administrative institutions.

Noël expressed his full willingness to cooperate and confirmed plans to visit Lebanon in July to follow up on joint efforts.

The visit concluded with a meeting between Nassar and Jérémie Pellet, Director General of Expertise France, the French public agency for international technical cooperation. The two discussed boosting cooperation in technical assistance, judicial training, and institutional capacity-building, with particular attention to modernizing Lebanon’s Judicial Studies Institute.

As he concluded his visit, Minister Nassar thanked the French authorities for their warm reception and support, and extended deep gratitude to French Ambassador to Lebanon, Hervé Magro, for his personal oversight of the visit’s organization.

According to Nassar, these meetings marked a significant milestone in reaffirming France’s firm support for Lebanon, particularly in its journey to reinforce the rule of law and judicial independence.