Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam told a gathering of young Lebanese professionals in Washington that his government’s success would ultimately be measured by whether it could build a country where young people once again saw a future for themselves.

Salam met with members of the Lebanese Club at the World Bank and International Monetary Fund, graduates of International College (IC) and the American University of Beirut (AUB), and young Lebanese working across different sectors and institutions in the U.S. capital.

Salam said he had insisted on meeting young Lebanese during his Washington visit because he wanted to hear directly from those who had left Lebanon to study, pursue careers or seek opportunities abroad.

He said the government’s success could not be measured simply by the number of laws it passed or projects it launched.

“The real test is whether we can build a country where young Lebanese can once again see a future for themselves,” Salam said.

He said the government should not ask young people to return before the state had done its part to make the country a place where they could build their lives.

“Our job is not to ask young people to come home before we have done our part,” he said. “Our job is to make coming back to Lebanon a choice, not a sacrifice.”

Salam said young Lebanese were not demanding the impossible. They wanted a state that respected its citizens and allowed them to succeed through their abilities rather than personal connections or favoritism.

They also needed a trusted judiciary, an economy that provided opportunities and a public administration that respected citizens and their time, he said.

Salam said the government’s state-building project rested on two parallel tracks: genuine reform from within and full state sovereignty over all Lebanese territory.

“There cannot be two armies in one state, and there cannot be two decisions,” he said.

The government, he added, was committed to pursuing reforms and extending state authority throughout the country.

Salam also pointed to the diversity of the Lebanese professionals gathered in Washington, saying it reflected the Lebanon he wanted to build.

“Lebanon should be a country where our Lebanese identity brings us together,” he said, adding that a person’s sect, region or connections should not determine his or her rights or future.

He urged Lebanese living abroad to remain engaged with their country through their ideas, expertise, professional relationships and investments.

He also called on them to judge the government by what it accomplished rather than by its promises.

“Judge us by what we do. Judge us by the results,” he said.

Salam concluded by rejecting the idea that Lebanon had permanently lost a generation of young people to emigration.

“You are not the generation Lebanon lost,” he told the gathering. “You are part of the generation that will help rebuild it.”