Lebanese President Joseph Aoun is set to visit Saudi Arabia on Monday in his first trip abroad since assuming office in January where he will push for the restoration of ties between the two states.
The trip marks the start of a series of international visits aimed at reviving Lebanon’s relations with Arab countries, especially after Israel’s war in the region. The first stop is Riyadh where he will meet Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
Mr Aoun, who was commander of Lebanon’s army before he was elected President on January 9, is expected to ask Saudi Arabia to reactivate a $3 billion aid package to the Lebanese Armed Forces, he said in an interview with Asharq television broadcast on Friday.
The military grant was suspended in 2016 during diplomatic tension, after Lebanon had failed to condemn attacks on Saudi Arabia’s diplomatic missions in Iran. This trip will aim to re-establish relations between the two countries after years of tension, with Riyadh notably denouncing Iran’s influence in Lebanon through Hezbollah.
“I hope and I await from Saudi Arabia – and especially the Crown Prince – to correct the relationship in the interests of both countries,” Mr Aoun said, referring to the strengthening of economic and political ties.
Discussions will focus on Lebanon’s extreme economic crisis, regional security issues, particularly Israel’s presence on the border areas of southern Lebanon. The country has urgent reconstruction needs after months of Israeli strikes, but aid and foreign support hinges on long-awaited financial reforms.
Mr Aoun said Lebanon was committed to those reforms but hoped the reconstruction aid in turn would come “step by step” to allow for rebuilding, so that Lebanese displaced from destroyed villages in the south could return home.
It is expected Crown Prince Mohammed will lift a travel ban imposed on Saudi citizens to Lebanon in 2021 following security concerns, as a gesture to the new mandate.
After the Hezbollah-Israeli war in 2006, Saudi Arabia spent billions in the country on rebuilding the south and providing political support, however, Hezbollah’s power subsequently increased with Iran’s support and influence.
Recent developments across the region – with Israel tackling Hezbollah last year and the militant group’s Syrian ally Bashar Al Assad toppled in December – leave space for the restoration of ties between Beirut and Riyadh.
Mr Aoun’s visit takes place as regional and international vital shifts are occurring. In Lebanon, his election comes after more than two years of political vacuum, the formation of a government and the war with Israel that has weakened Hezbollah militarily and politically.
The return of US President Donald Trump to power has also redefined the political, economic and security landscapes in the region.
Lebanese Foreign Minister, Youssef Ragi, will accompany Mr Aoun to Riyadh. They will then travel to Cairo to participate in the Arab Summit scheduled to start on Tuesday.
On February 8, Nawaf Salam, Lebanese Prime Minister, announced the formation of a new government, ending more than two years under a caretaker cabinet. Mr Salam said his newly formed cabinet would strive to be a “government of reform and salvation”, pledging to rebuild trust with the international community after the devastating Israel-Hezbollah war.