Saudi Arabia appoints ambassador to Lebanon
Senior official says flights to Beirut to be increased
Manama: Saudi Arabia will appoint a new ambassador to Lebanon, encourage the return of Saudi tourists and increase flights there by Saudi airlines, the Lebanese president’s office said, in a sign of improved bilateral ties.
Saudis will be back to spending their holidays in Lebanon and flights by state airline Saudia to the Lebanese capital Beirut will be increased, Saudi State Minister for Arab Gulf Affairs Thamer Al Sabhan said during his meeting with President Michel Aoun, the reports added.
Following the meeting, Al Sabhan said that his visit “comes within the framework of the follow-up on topics that have been agreed upon between President Aoun and the Saudi King,” the National News Agency (NNA) reported on its website.
Aoun said that he has given instructions to the ministers to complete discussing all the arrangements related to the common points between both countries.
The Lebanese news agency said that Al Sabhan, who arrived in Beirut on Sunday, was also received by Prime Minister Saad Hariri at the Grand Serail and that their talks focused on the latest domestic and regional developments, in addition to ties between both countries.
Saudi Arabia’s former ambassador left Beirut last summer, and the post has been vacant since.
Aoun, an ally of the Iran-backed Lebanese Shiite militia Hezbollah, was elected in October in a deal that also saw Lebanon’s leading Sunni Muslim politician, Saad Al Hariri, appointed prime minister.
Aoun sought to mend relations with Saudi Arabia, which has traditionally backed Hezbollah’s opponents in Lebanon, when he visited Riyadh in January. It was his first official visit abroad since he was elected president in October.
His talks with King Salman Bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud focused on reviving the Saudi military support after Riyadh cancelled a $3 billion aid package for the Lebanese army.
