Beirut, September 15 (QNA) -  President Gen. Joseph Aoun of Lebanon met Tuesday with Finland's Defense Minister Antti Hakkanen during his visit to Lebanon. Aoun and Hakkanen discussed the situation in the region.

President Aoun reemphasized that the Lebanese military is fully undertaking its duties, stressing that the alleged Israeli claims that Lebanon's army is engaging in dereliction of duty are entirely untrue.

He called on the EU to pitch in for Lebanon's reconstruction, welcoming every single country wishing to maintain troops in the south following the expiry of the mandate of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL).

For his part, Hakkanen emphasized that Finland rallies to Lebanon's side and looks forward to strengthening bilateral relations, stating that his country views Lebanon's prospects of achieving its objectives in the post-UNIFIL phase. (QNA)