Foreign Minister Joe Rajji. (Credit: NNA)
BEIRUT — Lebanese Foreign Minister Joe Rajji on Wednesday apologized for declining an invitation from his Iranian counterpart to visit Tehran, saying he is open to meeting instead in a neutral third country.
Last Thursday, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi extended an official invitation to Rajji to discuss the “development of bilateral relations,” amid ongoing tensions between the two officials.
In his reply, Rajji — affiliated to the Lebanese Forces and a vocal critic of Hezbollah — said he could not accept the invitation at this time, citing the current circumstances. He stressed that his decision was not a “refusal to engage in dialogue, but rather that the appropriate conditions are not currently available.”
Rajji renewed his invitation for a meeting in a mutually agreed neutral country, expressing readiness to foster a new era of constructive relations between Lebanon and Iran, provided they are based on “mutual and absolute respect for the independence and sovereignty of each country and on non-interference in their internal affairs in any form or under any pretext.”
He also emphasized that “building any strong state cannot be achieved unless the state alone, through its national army, holds the exclusive right to bear arms, and unless it has sole authority over decisions of war and peace.” Rajji concluded his message by noting: “Your excellency, the minister, you will always be welcome to visit Lebanon.”
Earlier, on Nov. 20, Rajji proposed on a local MTV program that such a meeting could take place “in a neutral country, like Switzerland” to negotiate outstanding issues.
Rajji has repeatedly criticized Iran’s involvement in Lebanon’s internal affairs. Relations between the two foreign ministries have been strained in recent months, as Beirut has pledged to disarm Hezbollah, an Iranian ally, along with other militias.
The Lebanese Foreign Ministry summoned Iranian Ambassador Mojtaba Amani twice, including in April, after he described calls to disarm Hezbollah as “a blatant conspiracy against nations.” In August, a decision by Araghchi to back any Hezbollah response to the disarmament plan also sparked a flurry of complaints, though the ambassador was not summoned.
On Saturday, Rajji said the handover of Hezbollah’s weapons to Lebanese authorities depends on Iran, expressing regret that the Iranian-backed party “is not convinced of handing over its weapons to the state.” Iran responded the following day, reaffirming that it does not interfere in Lebanon’s internal affairs and that Hezbollah is free to make its own decisions.
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