Lebanese President Joseph Aoun arrived in Riyadh on Monday and was received by the Deputy Governor of the Riyadh Region Prince Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Abdulaziz, and senior officials upon his arrival at King Khalid International Airport, the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported.
Lebanon’s president said Monday that he hopes to strengthen ties with Saudi Arabia during a visit to the kingdom following years of strained relations between the countries.
Joseph Aoun became Lebanon’s first head of state to visit Riyadh in six years.
Saudi Arabia has been vocal about its concerns over the Iran-backed militant Hezbollah group and Lebanon’s positions on some regional issues. In recent years, it imposed a travel and import ban on Lebanon.
Aoun’s appointment as president as well as that of a diplomat and former head of the International Criminal Court, Nawaf Salam, as prime minister are both seen as major blows to Hezbollah.
As relations slowly thaw, Lebanon hopes that Saudi Arabia will lift the travel ban on the cash-strapped country, restore trade and help its reconstruction efforts after the war between Hezbollah and Israel left southern and eastern Lebanon in ruins.
Aoun said he would meet Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Saudi Arabia’s de facto ruler, later on Monday.
“I look forward with great hope to the talks I will hold with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman this evening,” the Lebanese presidency posted on X, as Saudi TV station Al Arabiya also reported his arrival.
He said he hoped their talks would “pave the way for a later visit in which agreements strengthening cooperation between the two brotherly countries will be signed”, a statement from the presidency said.
Ties between Lebanon and Saudi Arabia had been strained for years. In 2016, Riyadh halted $3 billion in military aid to the Lebanese army, citing Hezbollah’s influence on policies.
Aoun told Saudi newspaper Asharq Al-Awsat on Friday that he would “seek, if possible, to reactivate military aid”.
The president added that he chose Saudi Arabia as his first destination because of its “historic links” with Lebanon and its role as a regional and global player.
“I hope and expect that Saudi Arabia will help us reset relations in the interest of both countries and overcome recent obstacles,” he said.
MBS vision 2030
He voiced hopes of “building normal economic ties”, saying Lebanon could align with “Vision 2030” — Riyadh’s initiative to diversify its economy beyond oil.
“This would allow the Saudis to return to their second home, Lebanon, while the Lebanese look forward to reconnecting with Saudi Arabia,” he said.
Aoun pledged upon taking office to usher in a new era where the Lebanese state would have a “monopoly on weapons”.
Hezbollah, the only faction to retain its weapons after Lebanon’s 1975-1990 civil war, has remained a dominant force in the country.
Aoun also promised a “policy of positive neutrality” and “the best possible relations with brotherly Arab countries”.
Aoun has also received an invitation from Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi to participate in an urgent Arab summit on Gaza in Cairo on Tuesday, according to the Lebanese presidency.
AP/ AFP