President of the Republic Joseph Aoun said on the forty-fourth anniversary of the martyrdom of President-Martyr Bashir Gemayel: "On the fourteenth of September of each year, Lebanon pauses at a milestone of its great national memory, recalling the image of the martyred President-elect Bashir Gemayel, who fell to bullets of treachery before assuming his constitutional duties, ascending as a martyr on the altar of the homeland, so that his name remains engraved in the conscience of the Lebanese as a symbol of belief in Lebanon as a message, sovereignty, and freedom." Aoun pointed out that President-Martyr Bashir Gemayel embodied, through his positions and struggle, a firm belief in Lebanon as a single entity, land and people, and expressed this belief through his immortal slogan 'Lebanon 10452 km²', which summarized an inclusive national philosophy affirming that Lebanon in its entire geography and area is a definitive homeland for all its sons, indivisible, uncompromised, and with no place in it for partitioning, division, or elimination. He continued: "As we recall the anniversary of his martyrdom, we affirm that his message remains present in our national journey, and that adhering to the unity of the land, the people, and the institutions is the best fulfillment of the blood of the martyrs who sacrificed their lives for Lebanon." As we commemorate this occasion, we renew our pledge to work on completing the building of a strong, fair state—the sole state guaranteeing the independence of its decision, its full sovereignty over all its territories, and the dignity of its citizens, in a manner worthy of the sacrifices of the martyred president and his comrades. Glory and eternity to the martyrs of Lebanon, and to Lebanon always pride and dignity.