Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian in Muscat on April 25, 2023. (Credit: AFP)
BEIRUT — Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian arrived in Beirut on Wednesday for a two-day official visit and promised "some initiatives to improve the situation in Lebanon."
"I have come to Lebanon again to affirm our support for the people, the Lebanese army and the Resistance," Amir-Abdollahian said at Beirut International Airport, according to several local media reports.
"This visit is an opportunity to hold discussions with Lebanese officials," he added. "Iran has always supported negotiations in the region and does not consider war as a solution."
The Iranian foreign minister will meet Thursday with caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati, Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri and Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib.
"We have some ideas and initiatives, favored by our bilateral relations, which aim at improving the situation in Lebanon," Amir-Abdollahian said, noting that new constructive circumstances are underway in the region.
"The security and well-being of Lebanon is in the interest of the region and Iran," he added
This is the second time in three months that Amir-Abdollahian has Beirut visited Beirut.
The trip comes after Saudi Arabia and Iran, which had severed diplomatic relations in 2016, signed a China-led normalization agreement on March 10, announcing the restoration of their relations and the reopening of their respective embassies.
Many political observers expect the agreement to have a positive impact on the region, including in Lebanon.