During the opening of the 65th edition of the Beirut Arab International Book Fair, caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati stated that "some may be surprised, amid the ongoing war for the past two months in Gaza and southern Lebanon, that we are here to celebrate the opening of the (Beirut Arab International Book Fair). However, the response to this surprise is both natural and spontaneous. The fair that opens today has endured despite everything Lebanon has experienced in terms of incidents and wars over the years, and has continued, because the Lebanese insist on fighting to keep Beirut as the capital of culture, thought, and free speech."
He added, "Our meeting today represents the best embodiment of cultural resistance against all the terrorism represented by the Israeli enemy, and that the word was and will remain the strongest and noblest response to all the bombs launched against our valiant south, harvesting both people and stone." He continued, "The Beirut Book Fair has been and remains a meeting place for many common spaces, the most important of which are the blood testimonies offered by all Lebanese, and they continue to do so, for their freedom, independence, and sovereignty."
Mikati highlighted that "the meeting is the destiny of the Lebanese, especially in these difficult circumstances we are living through, and it necessitates that everyone takes a step towards the other and seeks the points of convergence in our national life. If the times of prosperity that the Lebanese experienced during certain periods in the nation's history united them and gathered them around their state, it is even more essential that dangers, such as those we are going through today, unify them. Therefore, every call for divergence is misplaced recklessness and an unjustified surrender in the face of difficulties."
He concluded, "Congratulations to all of us for this space of cultural convergence that Beirut has always distinguished itself with, hosting books, with its diverse publishing houses, and with the freedom available for the ideas of its writers and intellectuals. In closing, I renew my greeting to the Arab Cultural Club for the effort made to keep this annual celebration of books alive, and Beirut will remain a shining beacon today and every day."
