Aoun at the Heart of the American Decision-Making... Rubio Meeting First, Eyes on the Trump Summit

President Joseph Aoun, accompanied by First Lady Nehmat Aoun, arrived in the US capital, Washington, at the start of an official visit in response to an invitation from US President Donald Trump, amid anticipation over meetings set to address key Lebanese and regional issues.

The plane carrying President Aoun and the accompanying delegation landed at Andrews Air Force Base at 3 p.m. Saturday, Washington time, where they were received by a number of American and Lebanese officials, foremost among them the Director of Protocol at the US State Department, the commander of the air base, Lebanon’s ambassador to the United States, Nada Hamadeh Mouawad, Lebanon’s permanent representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Ahmad Arafa, in addition to the military attaché at the embassy, Brigadier General Oliver Hakmeh, Consul Wissam Boutros, and members of the Lebanese embassy staff.

Following his arrival, President Aoun headed to his residence, where he held a meeting with Ambassador Mouawad and the embassy team, and listened to a briefing on the situation of the diplomatic mission, the course of its ongoing work, as well as matters concerning the Lebanese community in the United States and issues related to the presidential visit.

President Aoun’s official agenda in Washington begins on Sunday with a meeting with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, with the most prominent stop set to culminate in an anticipated meeting with President Donald Trump at the White House next Tuesday.

The visit also includes a series of meetings with a number of senators and officials in the US administration, as part of an effort to build direct channels of communication, strengthen Lebanese-American relations, and discuss issues of shared interest.