(MATURIN, VENEZUELA) — Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil said Lebanese citizens should focus on national identity and distance themselves from Syrians and Palestinians, in remarks from Venezuela on Sunday.
“We are Lebanese first, after that we can be Syrian and support the Syrian people, or be Palestinian and support the Palestinian people,” he said. “But in Lebanon, we must only be Lebanese.”
Bassil, who described the Lebanese as “Phoenicians and Levantines,” added that Arab alliances are secondary to a Lebanese national identity.
He also criticized countries abroad for referring to many Lebanese as “Turks”.
“We are not Turkish, the Turkish have killed us and starved us,” he said. “We are not united, neither by language, history nor race – we are Arab they are not, so please don’t refer to us as Turks.”
Bassil said Lebanese expatriates should unify with other Arabs based on similar values and political interests.
“Abroad, Lebanese, Palestinians and other Arabs must unite because we have the same cause,” he said.
Bassil also added that Lebanon should not betray Syria because of “deep historic ties” between the countries. He said Lebanon should maintain these ties to ensure Syria would not “consider entering our nation again and think that it needs to protect Lebanon.”
Bassil has been visiting Lebanese expatriates in Latin American countries and signing diplomatic agreements with his counterparts over the past week. He has been praised for being the only minister in decades to visit expatriates in South America.
On Friday, Bassil met with his Venezuelan counterpart Delcy Rodriguez and signed a memorandum of understanding, a joint cooperation agreement, and an agreement on visa exemptions for diplomatic, service and special passports.