President Joseph Aoun praised the steps taken by the Minister of Health in combating spoiled and smuggled medicines. He congratulated Nasser Al-Din on his election as Chairman of the seventy-third session of the WHO Eastern Mediterranean Committee. Regarding the work of the security forces, President Aoun praised their efforts to control security in various regions and at all levels, especially combating terrorism, drugs, weapons smuggling, and crimes. He stressed that the security services are the backbone of the state and its basic pillar, and that the Lebanese cannot help but stand by them. Aoun appreciated the position of Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, especially with regard to considering the Lebanese army a red line and maintaining civil peace. He stressed that the challenges facing the region are very great, and expressed his hope that its path would not be towards escalation or explosion. He called on the Lebanese parties to be wise, aware and deliberate, to distance the impact of these challenges from Lebanon, which is already suffering from difficult economic repercussions.