President Nikos Christodoulides pledged his support for a “safe and stable Lebanon” on Tuesday, during a meeting with the country’s President Joseph Aoun held on the sidelines of the United Nations general assembly. To this end, he said Cyprus will “continue to support Lebanon” when it undertakes the Council of the European Union’s rotating presidency in the first half of next year. Ties between Cyprus and Lebanon have strengthened since Aoun was elected as president in January, with Christodoulides visiting Lebanon the following day, becoming the first foreign leader to meet Aoun after the election. “Cyprus has always been supportive of Lebanon,” he said, adding that his country “relies” on Cyprus and will continue to do so. He also stressed that “a stable, peaceful, and strong Lebanon can lead to a more peaceful eastern Mediterranean”, and offered his support to Aoun for “the efforts he is making to achieve this goal”.