Raggi to OIC: No Sovereignty with dual arms
Minister of Foreign Affairs and Emigrants Youssef Raggi participated in the proceedings of the 52nd session of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the member states of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), held in Iraq.
In Lebanon’s address to the Council, Minister Raggi appealed to Iran and its affiliated proxies to cease their attacks against the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries and Jordan, reaffirming Lebanon’s full solidarity with these countries. He stressed Lebanon’s commitment to UN Security Council Resolution 2817, which calls for an immediate halt to these attacks. He also emphasized Lebanon’s rejection of any restrictions on freedom of transit through international waterways, particularly the Strait of Hormuz and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.
Addressing the issue of weapons, Raggi said: In August 2025, the government took a decisive decision to restrict weapons exclusively to the legitimate security agencies and to extend the authority of the state over all its territory solely through its own capabilities, firmly believing that there can be no sovereignty with dual arms, no stability when decisions are made outside state institutions, and no sustainable development without a strong and capable state.
He added that, despite repeated warnings about the dangers of dragging Lebanon into futile wars, Hezbollah had drawn the country into two devastating wars with Israel, in October 2023 and March 2026.
Raggi also addressed the brutal war launched by Israel, which resulted in the occupation of large areas of Lebanese territory. He renewed Lebanon’s condemnation of Israel’s repeated attacks on the country’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, describing these violations as breaches of international law and international humanitarian law. At the same time, he called on Iran to stop interfering in Lebanon’s internal affairs, challenging the decisions of the Lebanese government, and supplying Hezbollah with weapons and funds.
In his address to the OIC,the minister reaffirmed Lebanon’s commitment to UN Security Council Resolution 1701, which he said remains the broader framework for addressing the requirements of the current phase, alongside the 2024 Cessation of Hostilities Agreement, the 1949 Armistice Agreement, and the 2002 Arab Peace Initiative.
Emphasizing the government’s commitment to dialogue and diplomatic solutions, he concluded by referring to the framework of action reached with the United States and Israel. He said the framework would lead to a full Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon, the return of displaced people to their villages, the launch of reconstruction efforts, the release of detainees, as well as the disarmament of all armed groups, the restriction of weapons exclusively to Lebanon’s legitimate security agencies, and the extension of state authority over all Lebanese territory solely through its own capabilities.
