NNA - Prime Minister Nawaf Salam concluded his visit to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on Sunday, where he performed the Eid al-Fitr prayer at the Royal Court at Al-Safa Palace in Mecca, alongside Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister, Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud.
The Crown Prince then hosted PM Salam for an iftar banquet, followed by a closed meeting during which they discussed various issues of mutual interest and ways to strengthen bilateral relations between the two countries.
Prime Minister Salam thanked the Saudi Crown Prince for the warm welcome and generous hospitality. He also commended the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for hosting hundreds of thousands of Lebanese employees on its soil.
Salam stressed the "need to move forward in strengthening the partnership between the two countries, particularly concerning their joint draft agreements." He hailed the efforts exerted by both sides to lift the ban on exports from Lebanon and allow Saudi citizens to travel to the country.
Salam also affirmed Lebanon's commitment to implementing reforms, particularly financial and institutional, to stimulate investment and boost the country's economy. Additionally, he confirmed that "the Lebanese government is proceeding to extend its authority over all its territories, using its forces, as per the Taif Agreement, in a way that achieves the country's safety and stability and provides a safe environment for investors and tourists."
PM Salam called on the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to "support Lebanon in this path, so that it may regain the confidence of its people, as well as that of its Arab brothers and friends around the world."
In turn, the Saudi Crown Prince asserted that "the Kingdom always stands by Lebanon and is keen to restore its prosperity in various fields, through establishing security and stability and implementing necessary reforms." He called for taking advantage of all available opportunities today to achieve this and to emerge from the ongoing crisis.
Both the Lebanese and Saudi sides emphasized "the necessity of restoring security and stability to Syria, especially since any security disturbance in Syria will negatively impact Lebanon and the region."
In this connection, the Lebanese Prime Minister thanked the Saudi Crown Prince for the Kingdom's efforts to launch the process of controlling and demarcating the Lebanese-Syrian border and addressing all outstanding issues between the two countries.
It is to note that PM Salam headed to Mecca at dawn on Sunday on a private royal plane, where he began the visit by performing the dawn prayer at the Grand Mosque, alongside Saudi Foreign Minister, Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, Grand Mufti of the Lebanese Republic Sheikh Abdul Latif Derian, Prince Yazid bin Farhan Al Saud, and the Saudi Ambassador to Lebanon, Walid Al-Bukhari.
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