President of the National Dialogue Party, MP Fouad Makhzoumi, met with Cardinal Leonardo Sandri, Prefect of the Dicastery for the Eastern Churches, at the Vatican in Rome, Italy. They discussed developments around the world and in the region, as well as the situation in Lebanon.

During the meeting, Makhzoumi emphasized the importance of supporting Lebanon in international forums, particularly at the economic level, and of safeguarding its stability and security by all possible means. He expressed his confidence that supporting Lebanon was of great importance to the Vatican, given Lebanon’s role as a home for Christian communities alongside its diverse social, cultural, and civilizational fabric.

Makhzoumi stressed the need for the presidential election to take place on time, without hesitation or delay. He underscored the importance of uniting all sovereign, reform-oriented national forces to elect a president capable of leading the country toward recovery. Overcoming the current crisis, he said, requires concerted efforts to halt the deterioration, rescue the country financially and economically, and launch a comprehensive process of institutional reform.

He also stressed that the alliance of arms and corruption must not be allowed to impose a president who would perpetuate the current approach. This presidential election, he noted, would not only shape Lebanon’s future for the next six years, but could also change the country’s image forever.

Finally, Makhzoumi reiterated that Lebanon is a model of coexistence. He said that the ruling establishment’s approach of monopolizing power and imposing decisions was unacceptable to most Lebanese, as it contradicts Lebanon’s distinctive traditions of democracy and openness.