Prince Faisal bin Farhan, the foreign minister of Saudi Arabia, made history in visiting Lebanon for the first time by a high-ranking official of Saudi in almost 15 years. He arrived following the election of a new president for Lebanon, Joseph Aoun, who was described as very positive by the Saudi minister.
Prince Faisal is expected to have a meeting with Lebanon’s newly elected President Joseph Aoun. Aoun’s candidature was reportedly widely believed to be supported by Riyadh and the West. Election of Aoun is seen as an important move toward stabilizing Lebanon, which has been buffeted by years of economic collapse and devastating war against Israel.
Prince Faisal’s visit is going to open a new page of Saudi-Lebanese relations with economic cooperation plans and support for the reconstruction of Lebanon. The Saudi Foreign Minister has emphasized the necessity of fully implementing the ceasefire agreement, which includes full Israeli withdrawal from Lebanese territories and strict adherence to U.N. Resolution 1701.
This visit indicates Riyadh’s backing to the new leadership in Lebanon and its willingness to help it overcome its difficulties to achieve stability.
