Kallas congratulates Lebanon after Prime Minister Nawaf Salam forms new government

The EU's foreign policy chief has issued a statement, congratulating Lebanon after Prime Minister Nawaf Salam formed the country's first full government since 2022.

In her statement, Kaja Kallas said she wished the new administration "complete success in fulfilling the aspirations of the Lebanese people," the Telegraph reports.

"The EU reaffirms its unwavering support for the Lebanese people and in particular for the reconstruction of state institutions, capable of fulfilling their missions at the service of all citizens," said Kallas.

President Joseph Aoun announced on Saturday that he had accepted the resignation of the former interim government, and signed a decree with Salam to form the new government.

Salam's cabinet of 24 ministers, evenly split between Christian and Muslim sects, was formed less than a month after he was appointed, and comes at a time when Lebanon is struggling to rebuild its devastated southern region and maintain security along its southern border, following a devastating war between Israel and the militant group Hezbollah.

A US-brokered ceasefire, which has largely held, ended the fighting in November.

Lebanon is also still in the throes of a crippling economic crisis, now in its sixth year, which has hit its banks, destroyed its state-owned electricity sector, and left many in poverty unable to access their savings.

Salam, a diplomat and former president of the International Court of Justice, has pledged to reform Lebanon's judiciary and economy and bring stability to a country that has faced multiple economic, political and security crises for decades.

Although Hezbollah did not endorse Salameh as prime minister, the Lebanese group engaged in negotiations with the new prime minister over Shiite Muslim seats in the government, under Lebanon's power-sharing system.

Lebanon's new authorities also mark a shift away from leaders who are close to Hezbollah, something that was encouraged by the United States, which took an extremely direct role in forming the new administration.

US envoy for Middle East peace, Morgan Ortagus, said on Friday that any inclusion of Hezbollah in the new cabinet would be a "red line" for Washington, and would prevent Lebanon from accessing reconstruction funds. /Telegraph