Saudi Arabian Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan expressed confidence in Lebanon's new leaders' ability to carry out necessary reforms, as he visited the country for the first time after more than a decade.
"We are greatly confident in the ability of... the president and the prime minister to initiate reforms necessary to bolster Lebanon's security, stability and unity," Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan said after meeting President Joseph Aoun in Beirut, during the first high-level Saudi visit in more than a decade.
Saudi Arabia will continue supporting Lebanon and is optimistic about the country's future following a devastating war between Israel and Hezbollah, the kingdom's foreign minister said in Beirut.
He told reporters he stressed the importance of reforms in his meeting with Lebanon's newly elected President Joseph Aoun, in the first trip to Beirut by Riyadh's top diplomat in 15 years.
Bin Farhan, accompanied by a high-level delegation, was welcomed at Rafik Hariri airport by Lebanon's caretaker Foreign Minister Abdullah Bou Habib and Saudi Ambassador Walid Bukhari.
From the airport, the top Saudi diplomat proceeded directly to the Baabda Presidential Palace in eastern Beirut to meet with President Aoun to congratulate him on assuming his new position.
Bin Farhan is scheduled to meet on Thursday with caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati, Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri and Prime Minister-designate Nawaf Salam.
