Saudi ambassador to Lebanon Walid al-Bukhari (l) kissing the Iranian ambassador to Lebanon Mojtaba Amani on Thursday, June 22.(Credit: Nabil Ismail)
BEIRUT — The Saudi ambassador to Lebanon, Walid al-Bukhari, held an annual dinner at the Phoenicia Hotel in Beirut on Thursday, hosting Arab and foreign ambassadors, including the Iranian ambassador to Beirut, Mojtaba Amani, who sat at Bukhari's table, and the Chargé d'Affaires of the Syrian Embassy in Lebanon.
Pictures of a warm embrace and cheek kiss between Bukhari and Amani made the headlines in Lebanon, three months after Saudi Arabia and Iran agreed in March to mend ties and reopen their respective embassies, in a Chinese-brokered deal that has shifted regional relations.
Saudi Arabia severed relations with Iran in 2016 after its embassy in Tehran and consulate in the northwestern city of Mashhad were attacked during protests over Riyadh's execution of Shiite cleric Nimr al-Nimr.
Diplomatic relations between Gulf countries and Syria have also warmed in recent months. Saudi Arabia invited Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to attend the Arab League Summit in May in Jeddah amid normalized relations with Syria after Arab states agreed to reinstate Syria's full membership into the league. The move ended 12 years of suspension over Assad's bloody crackdown on anti-government protests.
“This dinner falls under the title of sustainable diplomacy through which Saudi Arabia aims to create an international safety net for Lebanon, in cooperation with various countries and international bodies,” Bukhari said in a speech during Thursday's dinner in Beirut.
He added that “we share a common responsibility in order to preserve Lebanon's stability and respect for its sovereignty and unity, in accordance with relevant international and Arab resolutions.”
Amani tweeted Thursday that he is "optimistic about the current movement and developments, and we hope that the atmosphere of reconciliation and convergence of relations between all countries of the region will soon prevail, for the good and well-being of our nation and our peoples."
Caretaker Foreign Minister Abdullah Bou Habib, who attended the dinner, said in a speech that “this invitation is a tribute to Lebanon.” He also stressed that Lebanon's relationship with Saudi Arabia at the official and popular levels is old and deep-rooted.