MIF Contributes to Historic Byblos Exhibition Opening in Paris with President Macron

The Michel Issa Foundation for Local Development contributed to supporting and realizing the Byblos exhibition, which was inaugurated yesterday in Paris by French President Emmanuel Macron.

Dr. Toni M. Issa, President of the Foundation, who accompanied President Macron during the tour of the exhibition, stated that “Byblos, an Eternal City” is not merely a title. The exhibition, organized by the Arab World Institute in Paris to highlight the deep-rooted history of this ancient city, carries a much deeper and stronger message, especially in its timing.

He added: “It is a message to anyone who believes that this country can be occupied or destroyed. Byblos, along with Lebanon, has overcome throughout its thousands of years of history all invasions and all those who coveted it. They all left… while Byblos remained, and Lebanon remained for its people.”
“Lebanon is not alone, and it will not be left to face its fate on its own.”

This is what President Macron also emphasized in his speech addressed to the Lebanese people and to the world.

Dr. Issa expressed his pride in the Michel Issa Foundation for Local Development being among the entities that contributed to achieving this important milestone for Byblos and Lebanon.

He also expressed his honor that the management of the Arab World Institute granted him the privilege of being among the few who accompanied the French President during the exhibition tour, Salongside Lebanese Minister of Culture Ghassan Salameh, Ms. Anne-Claire Legendre, President of the Arab World Institute, and Lebanon’s Ambassador to France, Rabih El Chaer.

Open to the public from March 24 to August 23, 2026, at the Institut du Monde Arabe in Paris, the exhibition invites visitors to discover Byblos as one of the world’s oldest cities and as a lasting expression of Lebanon’s heritage and identity.