Saudi Arabia has decided to return its ambassador Walid al-Bukhari to Beirut after improving relations with Lebanon. The Saudi diplomat arrived in Beirut on Friday after a six-month break, Al-Nashra news portal reported.
Earlier, the kingdom's foreign ministry issued a statement noting that Riyadh took this step "in response to the appeal of moderate political forces in Lebanon and the commitments made by [Lebanese] Prime Minister Najib Mikati." The Lebanese government pledged, in particular, to resume security coordination with Saudi Arabia and members of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), and to "cease all hostile political and military activities aimed at undermining the security of the brother Arab countries".
Ambassador Suleiman Al-Qanai of Kuwait also arrived in Beirut on Friday. The country initiated the normalization of relations between Lebanon and the GCC, with Kuwaiti Foreign Minister Sheikh Ahmed Nasser al-Sabah becoming the first high-ranking official from the Arab Gulf monarchies to visit Beirut on January 22.
This follows a diplomatic scandal last October caused by the remarks of retired Lebanese Information Minister George Kordahi. The former minister spoke on Al Jazeera in defense of the Yemeni Houthi rebels, who he said were resisting Saudi Arabia's unjust and inhumane aggression.
Riyadh described Kordahi's remarks as slanderous and distorting of the kingdom's position in support of the legitimate Yemeni government. Saudi authorities, followed by Bahrain, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates, expelled Lebanese ambassadors and recalled their diplomats from Beirut. Riyadh suspended the import of Lebanese fruits and vegetables, which damaged the economy of the republic.
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Based on materials from TASS