Lebanese President Joseph Aoun called on international partners on Thursday to support the country’s armed forces and help strengthen State authority, saying Lebanon was at a pivotal moment that could end decades of instability and put the country on a path toward lasting peace and security.

Speaking at a preparatory meeting for an international conference on support for the Lebanese army and Internal Security Forces in Paris, Aoun said Lebanon was facing a devastating war while also experiencing an unprecedented opportunity to rebuild State institutions and restore their authority.

“We are meeting today to prepare for a conference supporting the Lebanese army and Internal Security Forces at a pivotal moment in Lebanon’s history and that of the region,” Aoun said.

“Lebanon is enduring a devastating war, and its people are paying a heavy price. More than 4,000 people have been killed, including 399 women and 261 children, while its land, cities and villages are being systematically destroyed.”

Aoun said Israeli attacks had also hit medical and relief workers, journalists, State institutions and places of worship, as well as U.N. peacekeepers, which he described as a “flagrant violation of international humanitarian law.”

The Lebanese president thanked Jordan’s King Abdullah II and the Hashemite Kingdom for the initiative and their role through the Aqaba Process in bringing partners together and coordinating support for Lebanon’s security, stability and State institutions.

He also thanked French President Emmanuel Macron and France for hosting the meeting and for their continued support for Lebanon, as well as the countries taking part in the talks.

Despite the war, Aoun said Lebanon was witnessing a clear determination to rebuild the state, restore the role of its institutions and implement long-delayed reforms.

“At the same time, the region is undergoing profound changes that, if we handle them wisely, could give us a chance to build something different from what we have known over the past decades,” he said.

“For the first time, Lebanon’s internal determination to rebuild the State is receiving regional and international support. This opportunity may not last long, so we have to make the most of it.”

“Our goal is not to manage another crisis. It is to seize this moment to put Lebanon on a different path, based on a strong State and effective institutions.”

Aoun said Lebanon had made a clear choice in favor of the State, which he said must exercise authority over all its territory, protect its borders and population, have sole authority over decisions of war and peace and maintain an exclusive monopoly on weapons.

“This is not an international demand being imposed on Lebanon,” he said. “It is first and foremost a Lebanese choice, a Lebanese interest and an essential condition for building the state that the Lebanese deserve.”

He said Lebanon had already begun translating that choice into action.

Aoun also referred to the trilateral framework reached with Israel under U.S. auspices and with the backing of friendly Arab and European countries, saying it was intended to end the war and usher in a new phase of security and stability.

“But agreements and understandings do not succeed simply because they are signed. They succeed when all parties respect and implement them,” he said.

“Lebanon has honored its commitments. But completing that process and consolidating stability cannot happen while Israeli attacks and violations continue and parts of Lebanese territory remain occupied.”

Aoun urged Lebanon’s international partners to help implement the agreements in full and to treat Lebanon’s sovereignty and territorial integrity as principles that could not be applied selectively.

“We are asking our friends and partners to help fully implement what has been agreed and to treat Lebanon’s sovereignty and territorial integrity as a constant principle, not something applied selectively,” he said.

Aoun said Lebanon’s resilience should not be used to justify accepting the suffering of its people as normal.

“The Lebanese have the right to live in security and peace and to have a state capable of protecting and serving them,” he said.

Aoun said the Lebanese army’s responsibilities were expanding across the country, particularly in the south, where he said it must strengthen the state’s presence, extend its authority and protect stability amid continuing Israeli attacks and violations.

At Lebanon’s borders, the army must combat smuggling and other threats to the country’s security and sovereignty, while inside the country it must maintain security, fight terrorism, organized crime and drug trafficking, and protect State institutions and critical infrastructure, he said.

With changes expected in the presence and role of the U.N. peacekeeping force UNIFIL in southern Lebanon, Aoun said the army’s responsibilities would become more extensive and complex.

“That transition must be organized and carefully planned. It must not create a security vacuum. Instead, it should strengthen the presence of the State and its institutions on the ground, especially the Lebanese army,” he said.

Aoun said the army had already moved beyond its traditional military role over the years, serving during wars, crises, disasters and emergencies, as well as in rescue and relief operations and the protection of vital institutions and infrastructure.

“I know this institution very well. I spent many years in its ranks and lived alongside its officers and soldiers through difficult challenges and circumstances,” he said.

“I saw their sacrifices and their commitment to serving their country and their people firsthand.”

He said the army had demonstrated what it could achieve despite limited resources.

“The world can see what the army is accomplishing today with very limited resources. Give it the capabilities it needs, and it can achieve many times more,” he said.

Aoun stressed that the responsibility for maintaining security did not rest with the army alone.

The Internal Security Forces play a central role in maintaining public order, enforcing the law, combating crime and protecting citizens and institutions, he said, while the army, ISF and other security agencies have different but complementary responsibilities.

“The authority of the state cannot be strengthened without strong, effective military and security institutions that are present across all of Lebanon,” he said.

Despite a severe economic crisis that has affected the salaries and living conditions of military and security personnel, Aoun said the institutions had maintained their cohesion and discipline and retained the confidence of the Lebanese people.

“These institutions have endured. Our task now is to help them move from simply surviving to building the capabilities they will need for the next phase,” he said.

“Strengthening these institutions is first and foremost a Lebanese responsibility, but it also requires international support.”

Aoun said Lebanon was not asking its international partners to assume responsibility for the country.

“We are not here asking our partners to carry our responsibilities for us,” he said. “We are taking responsibility for political decisions, economic and financial reforms, and rebuilding state institutions and strengthening their presence and effectiveness.”

“What we are asking from our friends is to support us on this path and give our military and security institutions what they need to meet the growing responsibilities placed on them.”

He said supporting Lebanon’s security institutions was also an investment in regional stability.

“Lebanon’s stability is part of the stability of the region,” Aoun said. “The past years have shown that the consequences of a weak state in Lebanon do not stop at its borders. Any security vacuum can quickly become a source of wider instability.”

Aoun said the Paris gathering was only preparatory but should produce concrete results.

“The Aqaba Process gives us an important framework for bringing partners together, coordinating efforts and jointly identifying needs and priorities,” he said.

He called on participants to leave Paris with a roadmap for the international conference on support for the Lebanese army and Internal Security Forces and a clear timetable for holding it.

The roadmap, he said, should establish a long-term approach to supporting Lebanon’s military and security institutions.

“Lebanon is not looking for short-term, fragmented assistance or temporary fixes,” Aoun said. “We are looking for a long-term partnership, with clear commitments and continuity, that allows our military and security institutions to plan ahead and build their capabilities rather than simply manage their needs from one crisis to the next.”

He also called for the highest levels of transparency and accountability in international assistance.

“We want a clear and transparent mechanism that sets priorities, tracks commitments, makes sure support reaches where it is needed and allows us to measure its results and impact,” he said.

“Every partner should know what they are funding, why they are funding it and what has been achieved as a result.”

Aoun acknowledged that international partners could not be expected to shoulder the cost indefinitely.

“As the Lebanese state regains its financial capacity, it must assume an increasing share of the cost of funding its military and security institutions,” he said.

Aoun said Lebanon had a genuine opportunity to break with decades of instability and make peace and security a permanent choice rather than simply a truce between wars.

“The Lebanese have made their choice. They have chosen the state and its institutions, and they have chosen for the protection of Lebanon, its sovereignty and its stability to be the responsibility of the state’s military and security institutions alone,” he said.

“We have not stopped at words. We have already begun making difficult decisions and putting them into practice.”

He called on Lebanon’s friends and partners to support that path, saying the stakes extended beyond the country itself.

“What we are asking of you is not simply support for an institution. It is an investment in the success of the Lebanese state and in the stability of the region,” Aoun said.

“Just as Lebanon’s success will not stop at its borders, neither will the consequences of its failure.”

“If we do not seize this opportunity together today, we may not have the same opportunity tomorrow.”

“This is a moment for decision, not a moment for waiting.”