Lebanon’s new Foreign Affairs Minister Nassif Hitti said that he would deploy all efforts to rally Arab and international support for Lebanon. “Small countries always need an active foreign policy and to have a strong presence in regional and international forums, as this active presence impacts safety and security at the regional and international levels,” Hitti said during his handover ceremony with former Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil on Monday. “In the face of risks and challenges that we live in today, we must make an active move to [strengthen ties with] major powers, brotherly Arab states and friendly countries, as well as with relevant international and regional organizations in order to guarantee all aspects of support for Lebanon,” he added. Bassil, for his part, said that his choices were always based on the principle of national unity. “I chose national unity as the compass to guide my positions on foreign policy,” he said. “I wanted [foreign policy] to be independent, to work in Lebanon’s best interest and be based on international law.” He went on to say that he “accomplished several projects, the most important of which is independent diplomacy.” “I regret not being able to achieve some things in the ministry,” Bassil noted.