Ministry of Foreign Affairs: A Barefaced Fabrication and a Calculated Campaign to Distort Raji's Sovereign Positions

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Emigrants follows with great astonishment and denunciation the fabricated allegations published by Al-Akhbar newspaper, falsely attributed to Foreign Minister Youssef Raji during his meeting with Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin. The Ministry categorically affirms that what was mentioned in the aforementioned article is completely untrue, and constitutes a deliberate fabrication and a barefaced attempt to mislead public opinion and distort the facts.

The Ministry stresses that Minister Raji affirmed during the meeting, with unmistakable clarity, Lebanon's commitment to its unifying national constants, foremost among them preserving a pluralistic Lebanon, a homeland of coexistence and freedoms. He also reiterated that the Lebanese state does not bargain over its national unity, sovereignty, or constants, and that these principles form essential pillars of Lebanon's diplomatic approach and international relations.

Raji also emphasized the steadfastness of the border villages, especially the Christian ones, pointing out that the freedom, dignity, and right of the Lebanese citizen to live safely and freely on their land and in their homeland remain non-negotiable and inviolable principles.

The Ministry considers that what was published by Al-Akhbar newspaper falls within a systematic campaign aimed at falsifying and distorting Minister Raji's positions, in an attempt to undermine the clarity of his sovereign and firm positions that are not subject to pressures or bargains.

While the Ministry holds the parties behind these fabricated claims fully responsible for the deliberate attempts to mislead and harm Lebanon's official image and its relations with its international partners, it affirms its right to respond and take all appropriate legal measures.