Sleiman: Iran-Lebanon relations are on an increasingly downward trajectory
Former President Michel Sleiman said in a statement that Iran-Lebanon relations appear to be on an increasingly tense and downward trajectory, beginning with Iranian statements referring to confronting Israel in four countries through its allies and regional proxies, followed by what is viewed as the use of airports in neighboring countries to serve the protection of aviation movements linked to Iran, and culminating in breaches of certain diplomatic norms and practices, particularly with regard to the refusal to appoint a replacement ambassador for the ambassador whose positions and conduct have drawn Lebanese objections, amid what was considered interference in Lebanon’s internal affairs and the adoption of positions that are inconsistent with the official position of the Lebanese state and the will of a broad segment of the Lebanese people.
He said: This trajectory raises serious questions about the future of relations between the two countries, the extent to which the principle of Lebanese sovereignty is respected, and Lebanon’s right to manage its internal affairs and determine its national and diplomatic choices without any external interference.
He concluded: Lebanon does not seek to cut ties with the Iranian people, but rather to establish relations based on equality with the Islamic Republic of Iran.
