Lebanese President Joseph Aoun is expected on Wednesday for a two-day official visit to the United Arab Emirates (U.A.E.), at the invitation of the U.A.E. Emir, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, according to a presidency publication on X. Aoun will meet the Emir, as well as Emirati personalities, according to Baabda. There were no further details.

Last March, the President traveled to Saudi Arabia for his first foreign visit since his election in January, highlighting “the depth of Lebanese-Saudi relations ... and Riyadh’s role in supporting Lebanon’s stability.” He then flew to Cairo, where he met the Egyptian President. At the end of March, the head of state met Emmanuel Macron in Paris.

In mid-April, Aoun then traveled to Doha, where he spoke with the Emir of Qatar, Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani. The two men agreed on “the importance of preserving civil peace in Lebanon” and ensuring the monopoly of arms remains in the hands of the Lebanese state.

Soon after his election, Aoun promised to strengthen Lebanon's ties with the Gulf states, committing to establishing “new bases of cooperation,” as relations between Lebanon and the Gulf states have been strained in recent years, on diplomatic, political and economic levels, due to Hezbollah’s influence. The party was militarily weakened after its last war with Israel, notably with the elimination of its leader, Hassan Nasrallah, at the end of September 2024, and the Gulf countries have once again extended a hand to Lebanon.