Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and Bulgarian President Rumen Radev during a meeting in Sofia on Nov. 10, 2025. (Credit: @LBPresidency/X)
BEIRUT — President Joseph Aoun, speaking in Sofia during a visit to Bulgaria, reiterated the army’s "essential" role in disarming militias, including Hezbollah, echoing the message of his inaugural speech last January.
At a joint press conference with Bulgarian President Rumen Radev, Aoun emphasized that only the Lebanese Army can impose the authority of the state across the country. "The mission of our army is now existential," he said. "It is solely up to the army — and I repeat: solely up to the army — without any outside partner, neither outside the state nor outside Lebanon, to impose the authority of our state over its entire territory and borders."
The statement recalled remarks he made on Jan. 9, 2025 to Lebanon's MPs, shortly after taking office, when he called for "a debate on an integrated defense policy as part of a national security strategy on the diplomatic, economic and military fronts, to enable the Lebanese state — I repeat, the Lebanese state — to eradicate Israeli occupation and repel its aggression across all Lebanese territories."
In Sofia, Aoun stressed that the army "must enforce our full sovereignty, so that Israeli attacks on our territory cease and Israel withdraws from the areas it still occupies inside Lebanon."
He again advocated negotiations with Israel, describing them as "the only possible path to serve Lebanon’s higher interests." He noted that Beirut has conducted multiple negotiations with Israel, particularly between 2020 and 2022, to demarcate the maritime border "with the consensus of all current political forces, without exception."
Beirut Port investigation and Grechouchkine extradition
Aoun also highlighted the importance of judicial and criminal cooperation with Bulgaria, particularly regarding the ongoing investigation into the 2020 Beirut Port explosion, which he called "a national cause." He praised the "positive cooperation of Bulgarian authorities" and reiterated his determination to "reveal all the circumstances" of the blast and establish the truth.
Meanwhile, Bulgarian courts on Monday postponed the extradition hearing of Igor Grechouchkine, the alleged owner of the Rhosus vessel that carried the ammonium nitrate responsible for the Aug. 4, 2020, explosion and killed over 200 people, injured a thousand others and caused extensive damage in the city. Grechouchkine, a 48-year-old Russian-Cypriot, is subject to an Interpol red notice issued at Lebanon’s request, which had issued a default arrest warrant in October 2020. Bulgarian authorities requested confirmation from Lebanon that the death penalty would not be applied. The hearing was postponed after the court deemed Lebanon’s statements on the issue insufficient, a court spokeswoman told AFP. Lebanese and Cypriot embassy representatives attended the proceedings.
Aoun also noted the nearly 60-year diplomatic relationship between Beirut and Sofia, highlighting that "hundreds of Lebanese" have studied in Bulgaria. He said foreign ministers from both countries have been tasked with developing a "memorandum of understanding ... reflecting the depth of our bilateral ties and the convergence of our views on common issues."
