Foreign Minister Constantinos Kombos on Thursday attended an international conference in Paris for Lebanon, with the aim of rallying military and humanitarian aid for the country.

The conference was hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron and is due to be attended by representatives of governments and international organisations from around the world.

In his speech at the conference, Kombos said Cyprus “strongly supports mediation efforts made by our partners” including France to reduce tensions in the region, and said the “only solution” to the ongoing conflict in the country is “the diplomatic route and the full implementation of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1701”.

Resolution 1701, adopted in 2006, stipulates that there be no armed forces in southern Lebanon south of the Litani river other than the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (Unifil) and the Lebanese military.

It calls for the withdrawal of all Israeli forces from Lebanon and the withdrawal of Hezbollah from all areas south of the Litani.

To this end, Kombos stressed “the need to respect Lebanon’s sovereignty and territorial integrity”, and thus the need to strengthen the country’s armed forces.

He also condemned “repeated attacks against Unifil” launched by the State of Israel.

Turning his attention to the humanitarian situation in the country, he called for “immediate, coordinated, and collective action” to alleviate the area’s needs, and pointed out Cyprus’ geographical proximity to the country and thus the possibility of providing humanitarian assistance from the island.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot had said on Wednesday that representatives of around 70 countries and 15 organisations would attend and vowed that France “will not let Lebanon down”.

His ministry had said when announcing the conference that it will “bring together Lebanon’s partner States, the United Nations, the European Union and international, regional, and civil society organisations”.

“It will aim to rally the international community to respond to the Lebanese people’s needs for protection and emergency relief and identify ways of supporting Lebanon’s institutions, especially those of the Lebanese armed forces, which guarantee the country’s internal stability,” the ministry added.

Macron had met Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati on Wednesday in Paris, while German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock had said during a recent visit to Lebanon that she would also attend.

She said she will be there “to discuss with our international partners, western as well as Arab, how a political solution to this situation can be found“.

She added that it is “urgent to ensure, in coming days and weeks, that aid for the people of Lebanon arrives directly.”

Irish Tanaiste Micheal Martin, the country’s equivalent of a deputy prime minister, will also be in Paris for the conference, with his government having earlier in the morning pledged a further €2 million in aid for refugees and displaced people fleeing conflict in Lebanon.

“The humanitarian situation facing the people of Lebanon is catastrophic. The international community has a responsibility to respond,” he told his country’s public broadcaster RTE.

The United States will be represented at the conference by its deputy secretary of state for management and resources Richard R Verma. Other high-profile attendees include EU High Commissioner for Foreign Affairs Josep Borrell and Greece’s Foreign Minister Giorgos Gerapetrisis

Kombos had spoken about his plans to visit the conference during a meeting with US Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs James O’Brien on Wednesday.

“We are trying, based on our own capabilities, to contribute to this discussion. We are part of the region, and we have, we believe, the responsibility and the obligation to be present and to participate,” he said.