Minister of Foreign Affairs and Emigrants Youssef Raggi met with Canadian Senate Speaker Raymonde Gagné during his official visit to Canada, discussing bilateral relations, developments in Lebanon, the course of negotiations between Lebanon and Israel, and arrangements following the end of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) mandate.
Gagné praised the Lebanese community in Canada and its active contribution to Canadian society, reaffirming her country’s support for Lebanon and expressing interest in exploring additional ways to assist it.
Raggi thanked Canada for its continued support, stressing the importance of sustained assistance to the Lebanese Armed Forces as a cornerstone of the state’s ability to establish stability.
He also called for international support for the Lebanese government’s efforts to end Israeli occupation, halt attacks and ensure that weapons remain exclusively under state control.
"Lebanon cannot achieve prosperity and stability while armed groups operate outside the authority of the state," Raggi said.
Separately, Raggi met with ambassadors representing Arab League member states accredited to Ottawa at the Lebanese Embassy.
Opening the meeting, Dean of the Arab Diplomatic Corps and Yemeni Ambassador Jamal Al-Sallal reaffirmed Arab support for Lebanon, its state institutions and the extension of government authority across its territory.
He emphasized the importance of ensuring that the state maintains exclusive control over weapons and decisions of war and peace, while expressing solidarity with Lebanon’s efforts to strengthen its regional role.
For his part, Raggi reiterated Lebanon’s solidarity with Gulf countries, Jordan and Yemen, condemning what he described as unjustified attacks against them.
He stressed that Lebanon no longer wished to serve as a military support front for any party or engage in hostility toward others, emphasizing that Lebanese citizens sought to live peacefully in a stable and prosperous country.
Raggi also expressed Lebanon’s aspiration to reclaim its leading regional position in education and healthcare, arguing that this objective could not be achieved while armed organizations remained outside state authority.
Addressing the framework agreement signed with Israel, Raggi clarified that it was not a final treaty but a framework for future negotiations.
He stressed that negotiations represented the only viable means of ending Israeli attacks and securing a complete Israeli withdrawal from Lebanese territory.
Gagné praised the Lebanese community in Canada and its active contribution to Canadian society, reaffirming her country’s support for Lebanon and expressing interest in exploring additional ways to assist it.
Raggi thanked Canada for its continued support, stressing the importance of sustained assistance to the Lebanese Armed Forces as a cornerstone of the state’s ability to establish stability.
He also called for international support for the Lebanese government’s efforts to end Israeli occupation, halt attacks and ensure that weapons remain exclusively under state control.
"Lebanon cannot achieve prosperity and stability while armed groups operate outside the authority of the state," Raggi said.
Separately, Raggi met with ambassadors representing Arab League member states accredited to Ottawa at the Lebanese Embassy.
Opening the meeting, Dean of the Arab Diplomatic Corps and Yemeni Ambassador Jamal Al-Sallal reaffirmed Arab support for Lebanon, its state institutions and the extension of government authority across its territory.
He emphasized the importance of ensuring that the state maintains exclusive control over weapons and decisions of war and peace, while expressing solidarity with Lebanon’s efforts to strengthen its regional role.
For his part, Raggi reiterated Lebanon’s solidarity with Gulf countries, Jordan and Yemen, condemning what he described as unjustified attacks against them.
He stressed that Lebanon no longer wished to serve as a military support front for any party or engage in hostility toward others, emphasizing that Lebanese citizens sought to live peacefully in a stable and prosperous country.
Raggi also expressed Lebanon’s aspiration to reclaim its leading regional position in education and healthcare, arguing that this objective could not be achieved while armed organizations remained outside state authority.
Addressing the framework agreement signed with Israel, Raggi clarified that it was not a final treaty but a framework for future negotiations.
He stressed that negotiations represented the only viable means of ending Israeli attacks and securing a complete Israeli withdrawal from Lebanese territory.
