Lebanese President Joseph Aoun addressed members of the diplomatic corps and heads of international organizations operating in Lebanon, outlining the priorities of Lebanese foreign policy, the process of repositioning Lebanon within its Arab environment and international legitimacy, and his vision for a peace based on justice and the preservation of rights.
President Aoun emphasized that his foreign policy objective has been clear and declared from the outset: to restore Lebanon to its rightful place and position within Arab legitimacy, as well as within international and UN frameworks. He noted that this process has been pursued gradually, step by step.
He explained that his foreign policy initiatives included ten visits to sister Arab states and four visits to friendly European countries, in addition to participation in three international events at the Arab, Islamic, and UN levels. He also highlighted Lebanon’s hosting of heads of friendly states and dozens of international delegations, all aimed at strengthening bilateral relations and reaffirming international solidarity with Lebanon.
The President pointed out that the culmination of this solidarity was the visit of His Holiness Pope Leo XIV to Lebanon, considering it a highly significant event. He recalled the occasion when the Pope stood in Lebanon on the eve of November 30th, addressing the Lebanese people and the world with words that expressed a profound belief in the Lebanese people’s capacity for resilience and renewal. The Pope emphasized that the Lebanese are a people who do not surrender, but rather confront difficulties and always know how to be reborn with courage, and that their steadfastness constitutes an indispensable hallmark for true peacemakers.
In the same vein, President Aoun explained that his message throughout all his foreign visits this year has been consistent and unwavering: Lebanon is a nation dedicated to peace. He asserted that Lebanon’s geography, its people, its nature, its uniqueness, and all its components do not suggest a country of wars, aggression, or recklessness, but rather a nation that breathes peace and knows no surrender.
He stressed that the desired peace is not a fragile or temporary peace, but a stable and lasting peace based on justice, clarifying that justice means fulfilling and reciprocating rights. He affirmed that the first and foremost human right is the right to a free, safe, and dignified life, considering this to be the goal that the Lebanese people aspire to for their nation, from the south to all its borders.
Aoun said: “Apart from the campaigns of distortion, intimidation, and misinformation, and despite ‘Israel’s’
failure to abide by the declaration of a cessation of hostilities, and with the well-known capabilities of our armed forces, foremost among them the Lebanese army, I can tell you that the truth is what you see, not what you hear. What we have seen with our own eyes is that not a single bullet has been fired from Lebanon during my year in office, which confirms that the Lebanese army and the Lebanese armed forces alone are operationally in control of the area south of the Litani River.”
Source: Al-Manar English Website