US envoy Morgan Ortagus hails Lebanese diaspora, says country stands at a crossroads

Morgan Ortagus, the U.S. Deputy Special Envoy for the Middle East, confirmed that President Donald Trump will soon make his first official visit to the region, with Saudi Arabia as his primary destination. 

Speaking at a reception held at the Lebanese Embassy in Washington during the Spring Meetings of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank, Ortagus said the Trump administration places significant importance on the Middle East.

She said that when President Trump appointed Steve Witkoff as his special envoy to the region and selected her as deputy, they immediately began assessing the challenges and developments the region had faced over the past three to four years. 

According to her, the administration inherited a region overwhelmed by conflict and chaos, but Trump is committed to fulfilling his promise of being a "president of peace."

Ortagus expressed gratitude for her role in working with Lebanon, calling the Lebanese people friends and partners. 

She also spoke about the rarity of courageous leaders willing to make tough decisions to change the direction of their country. She said she saw that courage in President Joseph Aoun, describing him as a leader determined to make bold and necessary decisions to put Lebanon on a path to recovery.

She praised the Lebanese diaspora, especially in the United States, calling it one of the world's most successful, educated, and cultured communities. 

Ortagus emphasized that whether Lebanese people live in the U.S. or Lebanon, the shared goal is to reform Lebanon and revive it. 

She said the vision is not to return to 1975 or a so-called "golden age" but to build a brighter and more prosperous future than Lebanon has seen before because the country has the potential to achieve it.

She stressed that Lebanon cannot reach that future without bold leadership. 

In her view, leaders like President Aoun, the prime minister, and other officials ready to take difficult but necessary steps—reform, economic recovery, restoration of state authority, and provision of basic services—are essential.

Ortagus concluded that Lebanon stands on the brink of a new era greater than ever. If Lebanese leaders choose to move forward and make the tough decisions required, she said the Trump administration and the United States will support them at every step. 

However, she warned that going backward or repeating past mistakes is not an option, and the only way forward is through strengthening the state, reforming, and fully reviving the nation.