Lebanese Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates, Youssef Al-Raji, apologized in response to a message from his Iranian counterpart, Abbas Araghchi, for not accepting the invitation to visit Tehran under the current circumstances, according to the Lebanese National News Agency.
اضافة اعلان
Al-Raji clarified in his message that “his apology for not accepting the invitation does not signify a refusal to engage in dialogue, but rather that the favorable conditions are not available at this time.”
He renewed his invitation to Araghchi to hold a meeting in a mutually agreed-upon neutral third country, expressing his “full readiness to establish a new era of constructive relations between Lebanon and Iran, provided that they are based solely on mutual respect, full respect for each country’s independence and sovereignty, and non-interference in internal affairs under any pretext.”
Al-Raji emphasized in his message his “firm belief that building any strong state is impossible unless the state alone, through its national army, holds the exclusive right to bear arms and possesses sole authority over matters of war and peace.”
He concluded his message by writing: “You will always be welcome, Excellency, to visit Lebanon.”
