Bassil in Paris: Lebanon’s Diversity and Partnership Offer a Better Model Than One-Dimensional Thinking, While the Diaspora Plays a Vital Role in Regional Development

Free Patriotic Movement (FPM) leader and MP Gebran Bassil is continuing his visit to France, where he is holding a series of meetings with members of the Lebanese diaspora, as well as FPM officials and members. The visit aims to strengthen ties with Lebanese communities abroad, coinciding with commemorations of October 13 and the upcoming unveiling of a statue of Blessed Patriarch Elias Boutros Hoayek at Our Lady of Lebanon Cathedral in Paris.
Visit to the Church of the Holy Savior and Saint Maron
As part of his tour, Bassil visited the Maronite Church of the Holy Savior and Saint Maron (Église Maronite Saints-Sauveur-et-Maroun) in Issy-les-Moulineaux, near Paris, where he met with Father Rami Abdel Sater.
The visit was another stop in Bassil’s series of meetings with members of the Lebanese diaspora in France, particularly at church institutions that play a role in preserving spiritual, cultural and social ties between Lebanese communities abroad and their homeland.
Meeting with the Batroun Community: Development, Electricity and Air Travel
Bassil had previously met with members of the Batroun community in Paris, emphasizing the importance of greater involvement by Lebanese expatriates in developing their regions of origin and contributing to their prosperity. He also stressed the need to strengthen cooperation between Lebanese residents and expatriates to support development and economic initiatives.
He explained that the economic crisis had brought several key development projects in the Batroun district to a halt, including roads in Tannourine el-Fawqa and Tannourine el-Tahta, the Saints’ Road, and a wastewater project for which a loan had previously been secured from the Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development. He affirmed that efforts were continuing to secure the necessary funding and resume the suspended projects.
On electricity, Bassil referred to Energy Minister Joe Saddi’s announcement regarding efforts to import electricity from Turkey via Syria. He asked: “Which would be less costly: importing electricity from power plants in Turkey through Syria to Lebanon, or obtaining it from a Turkish power plant aboard a vessel stationed off the Lebanese coast?”
Regarding tourism, he highlighted the continued growth of activities in Batroun, saying that this year’s Capital de Noël event would be larger than last year’s, as preparations continue for a special Christmas season.
He also stressed the need to reduce airfares to Lebanon to encourage Lebanese expatriates to visit their homeland. He argued that exclusivity in the aviation sector was a problem that required ending the monopoly and opening the market to competition.
Ask Gebran: The Challenge of Preserving Coexistence
At another stop on his tour, Bassil participated in an “Ask Gebran” event organized by the RPL in France and attended by members of the Lebanese community. Discussions focused on Lebanon’s identity, role and mission, as well as the importance of preserving pluralism and partnership among its various communities.
Bassil said the main challenge facing Lebanese people today was answering a fundamental question: whether they wished to continue living together.
He argued that Lebanon’s model, based on cultural diversity, pluralism and partnership, remained preferable to one-dimensional thinking, examples of which the region has witnessed, despite the sacrifices and costs involved in maintaining that model.
He stressed that the responsibility of the Lebanese people went beyond shaping the political system. It also involved defining the role Lebanon should play and determining how each individual could contribute to that role while preserving their freedom and rights.
Addressing Lebanese expatriates in France, Bassil said they embodied the reach of Lebanon’s message beyond its geographical borders and demonstrated the ability of Lebanese people to integrate into different societies without abandoning their identity.
“Wherever Lebanese people go, they carry with them a message of openness,” he said, noting that this openness had enabled Lebanese communities to establish themselves around the world and integrate into their host societies.
October 13 and Patriarch Hoayek: National and Historical Significance
Reflecting on the October 13 commemoration, Bassil said it was linked to confronting repeated attempts by external powers, from both East and West, to take control of Lebanon. He warned that, in his words, the country was now facing a new attempt by a neighboring state to destroy it.
He stressed the need to uphold the vision of Lebanon as a country founded on full partnership among its various communities, arguing that this model gives the country its distinctive character.
He also highlighted the symbolic significance of the October 13 commemoration coinciding with the presentation of a statue of Blessed Patriarch Elias Boutros Hoayek to Our Lady of Lebanon Cathedral in Paris, pointing to the patriarch’s historical role in the establishment of Greater Lebanon.
Bassil noted that questions surrounding Lebanon’s identity and role remained subjects of debate and disagreement among Lebanese people, including within the Christian community itself. He emphasized the importance of preserving Lebanon as a place of openness and dialogue, as well as its role beyond its geographical borders through Lebanese communities around the world.
He called for reflection on the spiritual and national significance of the occasion, linking it to the sacrifices made by generations of Lebanese people to preserve their homeland and ensure its survival.
Mass and Unveiling of the Patriarch Hoayek Statue in Paris
Bassil is scheduled to attend a religious celebration tomorrow, Sunday, October 11, at 11 a.m., organized by the parish of Our Lady of Lebanon at its cathedral in Paris, to mark the unveiling of a statue of Blessed Patriarch Elias Boutros Hoayek and the honoring of his relics.
The ceremony will include the unveiling of a bust of Patriarch Hoayek, created by sculptor Rudy Rahme and presented by Bassil as a gift to the cathedral. The bust will be blessed, and the relics of the Blessed Patriarch, donated by the Maronite Sisters of the Holy Family, will be honored.
The celebration carries spiritual, national and historical significance in light of Patriarch Hoayek’s role in the establishment of Greater Lebanon and the enduring ties between Lebanon and its diaspora in France.