Jaber: Sovereignty and Reform are the Basis for Stability and Restoring Trust

Finance Minister Yassin Jaber, conveying the position of President of the Republic General Joseph Aoun, affirmed that "building permanent stability in Lebanon requires extending state sovereignty over its entire territory, restoring citizens' trust through reform and accountability, and turning recovery and reconstruction into opportunities for growth and employment."

He stressed that "stability without development is fragile, and what is required goes beyond addressing the repercussions of the recent crisis to building a state capable of facing future crises," affirming "Lebanon's commitment to strengthening its institutions and army, implementing Resolution 1701 and other relevant international resolutions, and working to ensure the complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from Lebanese territories."

Jaber's remarks came during his representation of the President at the proceedings of the seventeenth Bosphorus Summit, held in Istanbul under the title "Global Transformation and the Search for Stability," where he delivered President Aoun's message to the summit and conveyed his greetings and appreciation to Turkey and the organizers.

The message outlined what "Lebanese people have experienced since 2019, from the financial collapse to the Beirut Port explosion, war, and displacement, accompanied by families losing their savings and many young people leaving, while villages in the south remain under occupation and many areas await reconstruction. It affirmed that "the Lebanese have shown remarkable resilience, but resilience does not compensate for the absence of a state fulfilling its duties," and that they have the right to live normal lives without being asked to be exceptional."

Regarding the reform file, Jaber stressed in the message he read that "restoring trust is not achieved by words alone, but by decisions, accountability, and results that people can feel," pointing to "work on restructuring the banking sector, returning rights to depositors, and updating tax and customs administrations."

He paused at "expanding electronic access to public services, enabling citizens and companies to complete registration transactions, tax declarations, payment of dues, and goods clearance, without queues or piles of paper or intermediaries. He explained that this path includes electronic invoicing, digital customs clearance, online real estate registry services, and electronic payments that allow tracking transactions through a clear record."

The message affirmed that "every time we make a service available electronically, we narrow one door of corruption and give people an additional reason to trust their state," expressing appreciation for partners' support, and stressing that "the motivation for reform is that the Lebanese deserve it, not that anyone demanded it from us."

On the issue of reconstruction, it affirmed that "success is not limited to rebuilding roads, homes, and infrastructure, but is also measured by the choice of a young graduate to stay in his country, the decision of an entrepreneur to invest in it, and the ability of a family to plan for the next year." It linked this to providing job opportunities, "for when people can earn their livelihood with dignity in their homeland, they stay there, and stability becomes entrenched."

On the level of bilateral relations, the message expressed "Lebanon's pride in its friendship with Turkey, which stood by its side in difficult times and contributed to maintaining peace in the south, and its aspiration to expand cooperation in trade, investment, infrastructure, and reconstruction, serving both peoples and the region."

It concluded by affirming that "Lebanon recognizes the length of the road ahead, but is determined to proceed on it, and that stability is not measured by what appears in reports, but by whether a father or mother feels reassured about tomorrow, and whether the citizen regains confidence in the state; that is the Lebanon we are working to build."