Rajji: Lebanon Will Not Pay the Price of Any Expansionist Authoritarian Regime's Ambitions

Minister of Foreign Affairs and Emigrants Youssef Rajji participated in a meeting with the Lebanese community in Montreal, organized by Consul General Charbel Nemr. The event was attended by several MPs, including MP of Lebanese origin Faisal Khoury, Lebanese Ambassador to Canada Bashir Tawk, Dean of the Consular Corps Helga Catalin Britz, and the Consuls General of Turkey, Switzerland, Panama, Egypt, Greece, France, Morocco, and Tunisia. Also present were the Archbishop of the Maronite Diocese of Canada, Marwan Tabet; the representative of Dar al-Fatwa in Montreal, Sheikh Saeed Fawaz; the representative of the Supreme Islamic Shia Council, Nabil Abbas; the representative of the Druze sect, Sheikh Adel Hatoum; as well as representatives from Lebanese parties in Canada: the Lebanese Forces, Kataeb Party, Future Movement, Progressive Socialist Party, Al-Marada, and Free Patriotic Movement.

Rajji expressed his pride and emotion at seeing this gathering, thanking "Canada for hosting the Lebanese, protecting them, and providing them opportunities to succeed." He confirmed that "Canadian officials he met praised the role of the diaspora in their country's prosperity, noting that many of its members arrived in Canada under very difficult circumstances."

In his speech, he stated that "Lebanese people left their homeland rejecting occupation, and when the occupation ended, militias and illegal weapons emerged, becoming stronger than the state." He emphasized that "Lebanon now has a new President of the Republic and a new government, and there is no going back."

Rajji stressed that "Lebanon will no longer accept the existence of any weapon other than that of the Lebanese Army, nor will it allow anyone to negotiate or bargain on its behalf," pointing out that "Lebanese diplomacy has returned to being one hundred percent Lebanese."

He added: "Lebanon will not pay the price of the ambitions of any leader in the region or any expansionist authoritarian regime. It will not accept any faction opening a war at its expense to support this side or that, bringing occupation, destruction, and displacement, nor will it allow the state to be held hostage by other countries." He considered that "it is not permissible to squander Lebanon's interests in service of others' interests," clarifying that "the government has taken courageous decisions to restrict weapons to legitimate forces and consider the security and military operations of illegal organizations outside the law. These decisions have not yet been implemented, but we are moving towards execution," affirming that "the road is long but the determination to proceed remains firm."

Rajji confirmed that "the goal is to liberate the land from occupation and liberate the citizen from illegal weapons. This issue is not ideological but rather a desire to live in a normal state where people work, their children go to school, and Lebanon regains its role as a cultural and medical hub in the Middle East along with its economic prosperity. This cannot be achieved as long as strategic decision-making and the decisions of war and peace are not in the hands of the state."

He announced that he had "discussed with Canadian officials the resumption of direct air flights between Lebanon and Canada," confirming "Lebanon's commitment to working on removing obstacles hindering this decision." He also informed the community about the upcoming provision of biometric passports in Canada.