On the thirty-ninth anniversary of the martyrdom of President Rashid Karami, the President of the Republic, General Joseph Aoun, said: “On this day, thirty-nine years ago, the hand of treachery assassinated one of Lebanon’s staunchest men and the most loyal to their country. President Rashid Karami was martyred at the altar of the state he had spent his life serving. He added: "President Rashid Karami was not just a prime minister who assumed this position over and over again. Rather, he was a symbol of a fundamental idea that still resides in the conscience of every true Lebanese: the idea that Lebanon is greater than its sects, higher than its narrow calculations, and too precious to be bargained for." The martyr president was known for his firm national positions that were not shaken by the winds of sedition or tempted by the temptations of division. He believed in one, unified Lebanon, and refused to let the north, the south, the mountains, or the Bekaa be anything but faces of a single homeland that accommodates everyone. He firmly believed that the state was the only custodian of coexistence, and that institutions were the only guarantee for the preservation of the entity.” He said: “In these difficult days in the history of Lebanon, which faces a fierce and condemned Israeli aggression, and as we move with heavy steps towards restoring the state and rebuilding its institutions, we feel the weight of the absence of statesmen like him who carried the concerns of the nation more than they carried the concerns of their positions. How much Lebanon today lacks a voice like his that rises above the noise, and a hand like his that extends to unite it, not tear it apart. But martyrs do not die when their ideals remain alive in the consciences of their children. Rashid Karami is alive in every Lebanese who believes that this country deserves that we offer it something more valuable than words.” President Aoun concluded: “We pledge to his memory, and to the memory of every martyr who built Lebanon with his blood, that we are continuing on the path of work to end the suffering of the Lebanese in general and southerners in particular and to put an end to their torment, and to work to build the state, reform and justice. We will not deviate or back down.” May God have mercy on President Rashid Karami, grant him a spacious paradise, and preserve Lebanon as proud and proud as he wanted it to be.”