Rajjeh takes office at Foreign Affairs Ministry

The new Lebanese foreign minister, Joe Rajjeh, officially took office Tuesday at Bustros Palace following a handover ceremony with his predecessor, Abdallah Bou Habib.

The ministry’s director general, Hani Shmaytelli, along with several ambassadors, diplomats and ministry employees, attended the ceremony. Addressing them, Rajjeh said he had "good and bad news."

"The good news is that I know all of you personally, as well as the ministry — its nooks and crannies, its difficulties, and your struggles," he said. "Some of these challenges come from within, but the majority come from outside." Then, with humor, he added: "The bad news… is that I know all of you personally."

"We have always worked as a close-knit team, and I am counting on all of you to continue moving forward together," he said.

Lebanon’s ongoing socio-economic and financial crisis, which began in mid-2019, has severely impacted the diplomatic sector, leading to the elimination of about 15 economic and trade attaché positions by the end of 2023 and budget cuts affecting diplomatic missions abroad.

Rajjeh also praised his predecessor’s work, noting that Abdallah Bou Habib led the Foreign Ministry through "one of the most difficult periods Lebanon has faced in the past 30 years." Bou Habib, in turn, congratulated Rajjeh, expressing confidence that the ministry would be led by someone "from the diplomatic corps" who had spent "32 years" of his career in foreign affairs.