SAWT BEIRUT INTERNATIONAL

| 28 March 2024, Thursday |

“Saudi Arabia has never dragged Lebanon into war, and its sovereignty has always been respected,” says Patriarch Rahi

In light of the celebration of the centenary of the relations between the Maronite Patriarchate and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the Maronite Patriarch Mar Bechara Boutros Rahi confirmed that KSA “Lebanon and the Maronite Patriarchate remain friends, with hopes of forming a government and holding parliamentary and subsequently presidential elections.”

“We will not forget the Kingdom’s mediation throughout the war on Lebanon,” Rahi added in his speech, “especially because Saudi Arabia was the first Arab country to acknowledge Lebanon’s independence and respect the Lebanese choice and traditions.”

“Saudi Arabia recognizes the significance and value of Lebanon’s presence among Arab countries and has consistently supported its independence and sovereignty. We sincerely hope that the Lebanese-Saudi relations will revert to its former spontaneity and practice ” Rahi added.

The patriarch stressed that “Saudi Arabia never distinguished between one Lebanese and another. We saw how it embraced Christians. Our sons migrate for work, not for politics; they are the messengers of Lebanon, not the messengers of another country or another project.”

He also pointed out that Saudi Arabia “has never abused Lebanon’s sovereignty, nor did it ever violate its borders or involve it in wars. (…) The kingdom dealt with Lebanon with total respect to the Lebanese identity, pluralism, system, traditions, and way of living.”

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  • Sawt Beirut International