President Joseph Aoun met on Monday with Bulgarian President Rumen Radev at the Presidential Palace in Sofia, where the two leaders held bilateral talks followed by expanded discussions between their respective delegations. The talks focused on strengthening cooperation between Lebanon and Bulgaria across political, economic, and security fields.
At a joint press conference following the meeting, Aoun emphasized the central role of the Lebanese Army (LAF) in safeguarding national sovereignty, declaring that “our army’s mission is crucial in these circumstances because it alone, without any partners from outside the state or outside Lebanon, must extend our state’s authority over all its territory and borders and impose its full sovereignty, so that Israeli attacks on our land cease and Israel withdraws from the points it occupies inside Lebanon.”
Aoun underscored the importance of dialogue as the only viable path toward achieving Lebanon’s national objectives. “This must be accompanied by a negotiation process, which we consider to be the only way to achieve our national goals and Lebanon’s higher interests,” he said, recalling previous rounds of negotiations with Israel, including those that led to the 2022 maritime border demarcation agreement.
President Aoun arrived in Sofia earlier on Monday aboard a Lebanese delegation that included Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates Joe Raggi and Lebanon’s ambassador to Bulgaria, Rihab Abu Zein.
During his official visit, Aoun is scheduled to meet several senior Bulgarian officials, including Prime Minister Rosen Plevneliev and Speaker of the National Assembly Raya Nazarian.
Comments