Lebanese Foreign Minister Youssef Raggi has announced that he will not be able to accept an invitation from his Iranian counterpart, Abbas Araghchi, to visit Tehran at this time. He clarified that this decision does not signal a refusal to engage in dialogue with Iran, but rather reflects the absence of a conducive environment for such a visit.
Raggi, however, invited Araghchi to arrange a meeting in a mutually agreed neutral third country. The minister expressed his willingness to establish a new era of constructive relations between Lebanon and Iran, on the condition that these relations are based on mutual respect, the independence and sovereignty of each state, and non-interference in each other’s internal affairs.
Emphasizing the importance of strengthening the Lebanese state, Raggi stressed that building a strong state requires that the monopoly on force and the authority to make decisions on matters of war and peace remain exclusively with the state.
He concluded by saying, “Your Excellency, you will always be welcome to visit Lebanon.”
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