Lebanon’s foreign minister stated on Sunday that restoring investor trust depends on the state exercising a monopoly over weapons, as the country works to rebuild ties across the region.
Speaking at the Sir Bani Yas Forum in the United Arab Emirates, Minister of Foreign Affairs Youssef Raji outlined the government’s approach to national recovery. According to Asharq News, Raji emphasized that a prosperous economy cannot be built alongside illicit weapons outside state control, adding that investor confidence and friendly nations cannot be reassured while the decision of war and peace remains outside constitutional institutions.
United States Permanent Representative to the United Nations Mike Waltz arrived in Beirut on Sunday to discuss the future of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon, known as UNIFIL, and humanitarian aid operations.
"استعادة الدولة لقرارها ليست مجّرد مطلب سياسي بل شرط أساسي لبقاء لبنان" على هامش مشاركتي في منتدى صير بني ياس 2026 في أبو ظبي، سررتُ بلقاء أبناء الجالية اللبنانية وعبرت لهم عن افتخاري بهم ونجاحاتهم، وبأننا نسعى لقيام دولة تتيح لهم النجاح في وطنهم أيضاً. شكرتُ دولة الإمارات… pic.twitter.com/KdLdO5bANh
Elaborating on the foreign ministry’s direction during an address to the Lebanese diaspora in Abu Dhabi, Raji said that Lebanon has paid a heavy price for decades of serving as a regional arena for outside conflicts. Anadolu Ajansı reported that the foreign minister described the state’s recovery of sovereign decision-making as an essential prerequisite for national survival rather than merely a political talking point.
“We are working on confining weapons to the state, restoring the decision of war and peace, and adopting diplomacy as a way to protect Lebanon’s interests and restore its rights,” Raji said, according to Elnashra.
وزير الخارجية يوسف رجي خلال لقاء مع الجالية في أبو ظبي: لبنان الذي عانى من الحروب والتدخلات يدرك قيمة تحويل الدول إلى ساحات للصراعات الإقليمية
Raji also expressed firm solidarity with Gulf Cooperation Council member states against external threats and militia aggression, explicitly condemning Iranian attacks and attacks by Iranian-backed militias while affirming Lebanon’s rejection of any infringement on the sovereignty, security, and stability of those nations.
Addressing the gathered diaspora at an event hosted by Lebanese Ambassador to the United Arab Emirates Tarek Menemneh, Raji remarked, “You have proven that you are capable of succeeding wherever you go, and what we aspire to today is to build a state that allows you to succeed in your homeland as well.”
Ambassador Menemneh praised Raji for his approach at the ministry, which he said facilitates the work of diplomatic missions and serves expatriates, noting that for the first time in a long time there are individuals who resemble them and remain steadfast in their principles even under difficult conditions.
Concluding his remarks to the expatriate community, Raji declared, “Lebanon is back to the Gulf, and the Foreign Ministry is back to being Lebanese.”
Waltz stated via social media platform X that Lebanon faces a genuine opportunity to construct a secure future and enforce complete sovereignty, noting that his visit aims to hear Lebanese officials’ assessments of ongoing transformations and necessary steps regarding UNIFIL and relief service providers.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam traveled to Doha for high-level discussions with Qatari Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani.
1-وزير الخارجية والمغتربين من أبوظبي: استعادة الدولة لقرارها شرط لبقاء لبنان ونهوضه رجي: نريد لبنان دولةً طبيعية، لا ساحةً مفتوحة
