President Joseph Aoun reaffirmed Lebanon’s commitment to its Arab identity and international legitimacy during the Emergency Arab Summit in Cairo on Tuesday, emphasizing the country’s historical lessons and its role as a “homeland of encounter” rather than a battleground for regional conflicts.

Addressing Arab leaders, Aoun stated that Lebanon’s “existential interests lie with its Arab environment,” while its “vital interests are connected to the entire free world.” He stressed the need to uphold Lebanon’s core values, including freedom, modernity, and dignity.

“Lebanon’s raison d’être lies in upholding freedom, shaping modernity, and fostering joy—the joy of a dignified, sovereign, and prosperous life,” he said.

Reflecting on Lebanon’s turbulent history, Aoun underscored that the country had learned from its past suffering.

“Lebanon has learned not to be a battleground for others’ wars, not to serve as a base or a corridor for foreign influence, and not to be a haven for occupation, tutelage, or hegemony,” he warned, highlighting the dangers of internal divisions fueled by external interference.

“Lebanon has learned not to allow any of its own to seek external support against their fellow citizens, even if that external force is a friend or a brother.”

Aoun asserted that Lebanon is regaining its Arab legitimacy, crediting regional allies for their continued support.

“Today, Lebanon is once again reclaiming its Arab legitimacy—thanks to you, your testimony, and your continuous, appreciated, and valued support,” he said.

He also reaffirmed Lebanon’s unwavering commitment to international legitimacy, describing it as “indispensable and irreplaceable” in safeguarding the country’s rights.

The Lebanese president reiterated Lebanon’s right to reclaim its occupied territories and called for the release of Lebanese detainees held in Israeli prisons.

“Just as in Palestine, Lebanon still has land occupied by Israel and Lebanese detainees in Israeli prisons. We neither relinquish our land nor forget our prisoners, nor abandon them,” he declared.

Aoun linked Lebanon’s struggle for sovereignty with the broader Palestinian issue, insisting that lasting peace in the region could not be achieved without justice for the Palestinian people.

“There will be no peace without the liberation of every last inch of our internationally recognized, documented, verified, and demarcated borders. There will be no peace without a Palestinian state. There will be no peace without the full and legitimate restoration of Palestinian rights,” he stated, recalling the 2002 Arab Peace Initiative adopted in Beirut and reaffirmed in Riyadh last year.

Aoun, who has served over 40 years in Lebanon’s military, framed his speech as a “testimony of life” rather than a political lecture.

“I may be the last to join your esteemed gathering, and that does not entitle me to give lessons on Palestine. But I come to you after more than forty years as a soldier in the service of my country and my people,” he said.

He described Palestine as a “cause of justice” that requires strength beyond military power.

“The strength of popular struggles lies in the power of logic, the power of principle, the power of persuading the world, the power of mobilizing public opinion, and the power of comprehensive balances of power,” he explained.

Aoun warned against reducing the Palestinian cause to a factional or sectarian struggle.

“The more we succeed in highlighting the noble dimensions of Palestine, the more we support it and triumph with it. Conversely, the more we allow Palestine to be dragged into the alleys of power struggles or regional influence battles, the more we weaken it and lose alongside it,” he cautioned.

The Lebanese leader urged Arab nations to prioritize stability and development as a means of supporting Palestine.

“When Beirut is occupied, when Damascus is destroyed, when Amman is threatened, when Baghdad groans, or when Sana’a falls, no one can claim that this serves Palestine’s cause,” he said.

Aoun stressed that Arab nations must remain strong through prosperity, openness, and development.

“Our Arab nations must be strong through their stability and prosperity, their peace and openness, their development and growth, their message and exemplary model. This is the best path to supporting Palestine,” he said.

He also linked Lebanon’s sovereignty to regional stability.

“Just as Lebanon’s full and unwavering sovereignty is fortified by Syria’s full recovery, so too is it tied to Palestine’s complete independence,” he noted.

Aoun reaffirmed Lebanon’s dual identity as both deeply Arab and globally engaged.

“I am 100% Lebanese and 100% Arab, and I take pride in both. And since Palestine is a cause of universal human justice, this necessitates that we be open to the entire world, not isolated from it,” he said.

Calling for diplomatic engagement, he urged Arab nations to work with global powers rather than confront them.

“We must befriend the world’s vibrant forces, engage with its decision-making centers, negotiate with them rather than wage war against them, influence them rather than be ostracized.”

The Lebanese president concluded his speech by reaffirming Lebanon’s commitment to its national legitimacy.

“I testify after having pledged before my people to restore Lebanon to its rightful place under the sun. And here I am among you, embodying this pledge, for Lebanon has first reclaimed its national legitimacy, which I have the honor of representing,” he said.

“Until we meet again, Lebanon extends to you all its greetings and brotherhood.”