Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam prayed alongside Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) on Sunday at the Grand Mosque in Mecca. (Credit: Photo from the Grand Serail’s X account)
Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam visited Saudi Arabia on Saturday evening to celebrate Eid al-Fitr with Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman (MBS), the Grand Serail announced on its X account.
On Sunday morning, the Prime Minister was received by MBS for a closed-door meeting dedicated to "bilateral relations and the latest developments in Lebanon and the region," reported the National News Agency (NNA). Before this meeting, the two men also prayed together at dawn at the Al-Haram Mosque (the Grand Mosque) in Mecca. The Lebanese Minister of Foreign Affairs, Prince Faisal bin Farhan, his advisor Prince Yazid bin Farhan, Lebanese Grand Mufti Abdel Latif Deriane and the Saudi ambassador to Lebanon, Walid Boukhari, joined them.
In a statement released by the Grand Serail after the meeting, Nawaf Salam thanked the Crown Prince for "his warm welcome and hospitality, as well as for the reception given to the hundreds of thousands of Lebanese working in Saudi Arabia."
'Moving forward'
The Prime Minister also emphasized "the need to move forward in strengthening the partnership," particularly regarding the lifting of the complete ban, in place since 2021, on Lebanese exports to the Kingdom. This measure was imposed by Riyadh following the seizure of Captagon, an amphetamine drug hidden in grenade shipments from Lebanon. He also hoped that Riyadh would allow Saudis to visit Lebanon and assured that Lebanon is committed to a path of "financial and institutional reforms to activate investments and promote the country’s economy."
Nawaf Salam explained that the Lebanese government is working to "extend its authority over all of its territory" by deploying "its own forces" to "ensure security and stability and provide a safe environment for investors and tourists." He called on Saudi Arabia to support Lebanon in this process to help it "regain the trust of its people, as well as that of its Arab brothers and international friends."
The Saudi Crown Prince, in turn, affirmed that the Wahhabi Kingdom "always stands by Lebanon and wishes to restore its prosperity in various fields by establishing security and stability and carrying out the necessary reforms," according to the statement. He also called for Beirut to "seize all opportunities to achieve this and to emerge from its crises."
'Security and stability in Syria'
The two leaders stressed "the need to restore security and stability in Syria, especially since any disruption of security in the country will have negative repercussions on Lebanon and the region," following several incidents at the Syrian-Lebanese border since the rise to power of the rebel coalition that led to the fall of Bashar al-Assad in December. Sectarian massacres, including many Alawites — the religious minority from which Assad hails — and Christians, reportedly occurred in western Syria, along with clashes between fighters loyal to the former regime, who are sheltered in Russia, and the new Syrian security forces.
The Lebanese Prime Minister thanked Riyadh for its efforts to initiate the control and demarcation process at the border with Syria, as well as for addressing other pending issues between the two countries. Lebanese Defense Minister Michel Menassa and his Syrian counterpart, Mourhaf Abou Qasra, met Thursday in Jeddah, in the presence of Saudi Defense Minister Prince Khaled bin Salman, "to discuss issues of mutual interest aimed at establishing security and stability between Syria and Lebanon."
Saudi Arabia, which hosts the two holiest sites in Islam, announced on Saturday that Eid al-Fitr, marking the end of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, would begin on Sunday. The holiday's date is determined by the observation of the crescent moon according to the Islamic lunar calendar.
Relations between Lebanon and Gulf Arab countries have soured in recent years due to Hezbollah's influence on Lebanon's political scene. The party, supported by Iran, was militarily weakened after its last war with Israel, prompting Gulf nations to reconsider their stance on Lebanon. Salam had stated that efforts were underway to lift the travel ban to Lebanon for Saudi citizens and to revive Lebanese exports to Saudi Arabia.
