Kuwaiti foreign minister meets with Mikati during first visit by senior Gulf official to Lebanon since diplomatic spat

BEIRUT — Kuwaiti Foreign Minister Sheikh Ahmad Nasser Al-Mohammad Al-Sabah met on Saturday with Prime Minister Najib Mikati as he kicked-off a two-day visit to Lebanon, the first trip by a senior Gulf official to Lebanon since a diplomatic spat last October.

Here’s what we know:

    • In a statement Saturday evening, Mikati’s press office said that the Lebanese premier held a half-hour one-on-one meeting with the foreign dignitary, after which an expanded sit-down was held with Lebanon’s foreign minister and other officials.

    • Mikati welcomed the Kuwaiti foreign minister’s visit, saying it “expresses close brotherly feelings and a long history of understanding and trust between Lebanon and Kuwait,” the premier’s press office said.

    • “We look forward to closer cooperation between Lebanon and the Gulf Cooperation Council countries, and God willing, Kuwait will be on Lebanon's side, and the relations between Lebanon and the Arab brothers will restore their strength,” Mikati added.

    • For his part, the Kuwaiti official said that he was bearing three messages for Lebanon: solidarity with the Lebanese people, Kuwait's desire for Lebanon not to serve as a platform for attacking Gulf countries, and for Lebanon to implement reforms.

    • Al-Sabah added that his trip to Beirut was "part of international efforts to restore [Gulf] relations with Lebanon,” adding that there is a desire "to see Lebanon regain its glory through non-interference in Gulf affairs." He is set to meet President Michel Aoun and Speaker Nabih Berri on Sunday, the NNA reported.

    • The visit comes after Saudi Arabia on Oct. 29, 2021 announced it was recalling its ambassador to Beirut and banning all imports from Lebanon in anger over then-Information Minister George Kurdahi’s critical comments on Riyadh’s military campaign in Yemen.

    • Kuwait, Bahrain and the UAE all followed suit with the withdrawal of their ambassadors.

    • On Dec. 4, 2021, French President Emmanuel Macron visited Saudi Arabia, where he met with de-facto ruler Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman during which the two held a phone call with Mikati. Macron’s visit came after Kurdahi’s resignation the day before.

    • While Saudi Arabia vowed to provide aid for Lebanon following bin Salman’s meeting with Macron, diplomatic ties have not been restored.