From following up on the internal situation and the latest developments, to the south, culture and expansion, all the way to betting on motorsport as a gateway to returning Lebanon to the international forefront, meetings were held between the President of the Republic, General Joseph Aoun, at Baabda Palace, amid the announcement by the President of the International Automobile Federation, Mohamed Ben Sulayem, of his intention to hold a major championship on Lebanese soil.
Today, President Aoun received Deputy Prime Minister Dr. Tareq Mitri, and discussed with him the general situation in the country and the latest developments.
President Aoun also received MP Firas Hamdan, and discussed with him the general situation in light of the recent developments witnessed in the south.
After the meeting, Hamdan said: “I was honored to meet His Excellency the President, and I thanked him for his visit to Nabatieh and the message of support and reassurance it brought to the people of the south, and for emphasizing the importance of the state’s presence alongside them and establishing its presence at all levels.”
He added: “I affirmed my support for the efforts made by His Excellency to secure the Israeli withdrawal and the return of the people to their villages and towns, and to protect the south and enhance stability there.”
Hamdan pointed out that the research also addressed the economic and social challenges faced by the Lebanese, and the necessity of accelerating the adoption of the required reforms, thus opening the way to economic recovery and restoring confidence in Lebanon and its institutions.
In another parliamentary meeting, President Aoun received MP Adeeb Abdel Masih, accompanied by Farid Shehab and Sami Saab, who briefed him on the stages taken by the “ALPHABET DU MONDE” project, which aims to organize an international event starting from Lebanon, the cradle of the alphabet, and combining art and peace.
The project includes cultural, civilizational and artistic activities that target the world and seek to achieve broad international participation, based on the image of Lebanon as a peace-loving country capable of expressing its message through drawing, engineering, music, culture and other cultural stations.
The project also notes the distribution of large appreciation prizes to the winners, while its organizers look forward to turning the event into an annual festival that extends from Lebanon to the world.
In the cultural context, President Aoun received the President of the Amin Al-Rihani Foundation, Amin Albert Al-Rihani, accompanied by members of the Foundation, Sarmad Albert Al-Rihani, George Tanios Azar Al-Zoghbi, Ibrahim Zoud, Kamal Nakhleh, Asmahan Eid Elias, Mona Akl, and Giselle Joseph Hashem.
The delegation informed the President of the Republic of the program for the second part of the celebrations organized by the Foundation on the occasion of the 150th anniversary of the birth of the Lebanese writer Amin Al-Rihani (1876-2026), in cooperation with the Al-Rihani Museum in Al-Farikah, as part of the activities of declaring the year 2026 as the year of Al-Rihani in commemoration of his birth anniversary.
The head of the foundation explained that the second part of the activities will begin next October 12 and continue until the end of January 2027, concluding with the inauguration ceremony of the memorial and the raising of Al-Rihani’s statue, under the auspices of the President of the Republic and coinciding with his birth anniversary, in his town of Freika in the Matn District.
The delegation pointed out that the US Congressional Office described Al-Rihani as “the founding father of Arab-American literature.”
President Aoun praised the efforts made by the Amin Al-Rihani Foundation, and its role in illuminating the thought of the great writer who enriched the Arab library with works that embodied his distinguished literary presence.
He considered that commemorating the 150th anniversary of Rihani’s birth constitutes an occasion to highlight the literary and intellectual values that he represented, and to demonstrate his literary role in Lebanon and the world, especially in the United States of America.
Regarding the deployment file, President Aoun received a member of the Quebec Canadian Parliament, Alice Abu Khalil, and discussed with her Lebanese-Canadian relations and ways to develop them in all fields. He also briefed her on the conditions of the Lebanese community in Quebec in general and Montreal in particular.
Abu Khalil, who is from the town of Bleibel in the Baabda district, expressed her happiness at visiting Lebanon, stressing the importance of maintaining communication between resident and expatriate Lebanese. She also presented to President Aoun the nature of her parliamentary work in the Quebec Parliament.
At the sports station, President Aoun, in the presence of Minister of Youth and Sports Noura Bayrakdarian, received the President of the International Automobile Federation (FIA), world champion Mohammed bin Sulayem, on the occasion of his presence in Lebanon to follow the 48th Lebanon International Rally, which was organized by the Lebanese Automobile and Touring Club.
The meeting was attended by the Ambassador of the United Arab Emirates to Lebanon, Fahd Salem Saeed Al Kaabi, the Chairman of the FIA Rally Committee, Imad Lahoud, the President of the Lebanese Automobile and Touring Club (ATCL), Nabil Karam, and George Rahal.
Bin Sulayem expressed his happiness at being in Lebanon to follow the rally, recalling memories of his previous participations and winning the rally championship since 1987, and affirming his love for Lebanon and the Lebanese who encouraged and supported him during the tournaments he fought on Lebanese soil.
He stressed that, from his position as President of the International Automobile Federation, he will continue to provide logistical and material support for rally races in Lebanon, revealing his intention to hold a major championship on Lebanese soil, noting the role played by the Lebanese Automobile and Touring Club in organizing the Lebanon Rally annually.
For her part, Minister Bayrakdarian considered that the presence of the President of the International Automobile Federation in Lebanon constitutes support and incentive for the sport of motor racing, praising the good organization of the Lebanon Rally and the role played by the Lebanese Automobile and Touring Club in promoting this sport.
In turn, Lahoud and Karam presented the preparations that preceded the rally, and stressed the importance of Bin Sulayem’s presence in Lebanon despite his preoccupations, which confirms his love for Lebanon and his appreciation for the position that the Lebanon Rally occupies within car racing.
President Aoun welcomed Bin Sulayem, thanking him for his participation in the sporting event and the support he provides to Lebanon in the field of car racing.
Aoun stressed that sports are essential, especially motor racing, which constitutes a bridge of communication between Lebanon and the world, highlighting the role of the International Automobile Federation in spreading the culture of traffic safety and developing mechanical sports.
He pointed out that the organization of the Lebanon Rally and Bin Sulayem’s presence reflect Lebanon’s openness to international sports institutions, enhance its presence in global forums, and present it as a potential destination for sports and tourism events despite the challenges it faces.
He also considered that this cooperation reflects the restoration of international confidence in Lebanon, stressing that sport has become an economic lever through tournaments and races that revive tourism and investment and attract international sponsors and major companies.
Aoun praised the existing cooperation between the International Automobile Federation and the Lebanese Automobile and Touring Club, which is organizing the Lebanon Rally and other sports races, before Bin Sulayem presented the Federation’s logo to the President of the Republic as a token of appreciation.
The political meetings in Baabda come in the wake of President Aoun’s visit to Nabatieh and the south, where he affirmed the state’s support for the people in light of the recent developments. On the cultural and sporting levels, these meetings coincide with the declaration of 2026 as the year of Amin Rihani on the 150th anniversary of his birth, and the holding of the 48th edition of the Lebanon International Rally, amid efforts to enhance Lebanon’s presence on the cultural and sporting maps globally.
