CAIRO -  Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry and his French counterpart, Jean-Yves Le Drian, spoke by phone on Thursday and said they backed Tunisian institutions in the country's quest to achieve stability and security, Egypt's foreign ministry said.

The two countries stressed the importance of respecting the Tunisian people's will, it said in a statement.

They also discussed the situation in Lebanon and stressed the importance of the formation of a government there as soon as possible.

(Reporting by Alaa Swilam; Editing by Nick Macfie) ((Alaa.Swilam@thomsonreuters.com;))