The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates stated today, Monday, that "in light of recent media reports from newspapers and news websites regarding the 'unsuitability' of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates to summon a diplomatic employee working abroad to the central administration, categorizing this as a 'violation of laws' and 'intimidation of diplomats and punishing them,' among other accusations that reflect a lack of understanding of the regulations and laws governing the work of foreign service employees."
In a statement, the Ministry clarified that the Lebanese diplomatic corps has always distinguished itself by attracting elites in knowledge, culture, and ethics, which succeeded in projecting an image befitting Lebanon and the reputation of its expatriates who enriched the host communities wherever they settled, contributing to their revival and development.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs continued, "However, maintaining this inherited level of performance necessarily requires the Ministry to exercise its due oversight over the work of foreign service employees working under its authority, as this lies at the core of its responsibilities regarding the necessity of making decisions and administrative measures permitted by law in cases of professional misconduct and various disciplinary violations, safeguarding the public interest and ensuring the proper functioning of public service represented by diplomatic and consular missions abroad."
It clarified, "Aside from known disciplinary penalties stipulated by the public employee regulations to correct the behavior of the offending employee, and entirely separately from this, the regulations of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates, issued by specific law, allow—due to the nature of managing diplomatic relations—for various circumstances and reasons to compel or make it appropriate and necessary for the Ministry to summon one of its diplomats organizationally to the central administration. It may take the decision to summon them immediately, preparing to transfer the concerned diplomat to another place of work later, for which it exercises discretion in determining the timing."
The Ministry noted that "in this context, the State Consultative Council has confirmed, through several judicial decisions it made when some of those summoned appealed before it, the Ministry’s established and judicially fortified authority in this regard."
It emphasized that "the arbitrary resort to various media outlets to distort the image of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates and undermine its reputation, instead of resorting to the legal review methods available to anyone who sees themselves as a victim, merely reflects the closing of legal avenues before some parties concerned with the summons decisions given the explicit legislative text that grants the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates the authority to summon a diplomat from abroad to the central administration in justified cases that necessitate taking such a measure."
The Ministry reiterated its commitment to an institutional work approach, affirming that its administrative decisions are reinforced by all elements of legality and aligned with the applicable legislative texts that entrusted it with the powers it exercises quietly and responsibly within the limits of its authority.
