❗️Salam tells Iran: Lebanon will not be an 'arena for regional conflicts'

Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam told Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on Thursday that Lebanon did not want to become "an arena for regional conflicts."

Salam’s office said he met Pezeshkian on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York. Salam “stressed that Lebanon has paid a heavy price in terms of its security, stability and economy, and that it does not want to become an arena for regional conflicts or a venue for the exchange of messages between others,” according to the statement.

Salam said Lebanon hoped “to turning a new page” in its relationship with Iran. He called for “building a sound state-to-state relationship based on mutual respect for each country’s sovereignty and independence, non-interference in each other’s affairs and shared interests.”

He said Lebanon’s priorities included “Israel to fully withdraw from Lebanese territory and cease its attacks, and for Lebanon to move forward with extending the authority of the Lebanese state over all of its territory.”

Salam also said Lebanon needed to ensure “that weapons are held exclusively by the state.”