French President Emmanuel Macron announced a French-Saudi initiative to address the diplomatic crisis that emerged recently between Riyadh and Beirut, after statements by the resigned Lebanese Minister of Information, Georges Kordahi.
Macron said in Jeddah today, Saturday, that he and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman called Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati, as part of an initiative to resolve the crisis between Riyadh and Beirut.
He added, before leaving the Saudi city at the conclusion of a short Gulf tour, that "Saudi Arabia and Lebanon want to fully engage" in order to "reconnect the relationship" between the two countries in the wake of the recent diplomatic dispute.
Qardahi's statements a few weeks ago sparked a diplomatic crisis between Lebanon, Saudi Arabia and other Gulf countries, after he said that the war waged by the coalition in Yemen against the Houthis was a "futile war" and called for it to be stopped.
Following these statements, Saudi Arabia expelled the ambassador of Lebanon, recalled its ambassador in Beirut, and banned Lebanese imports.
Emmanuel Macron (left) met today with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Jeddah (French)
Yesterday, Kordahi announced his resignation from his position to allow a French initiative to heal the rift, and Lebanese President Michel Aoun agreed to resign.
And earlier today, the French president arrived in Jeddah after visiting the Qatari capital, Doha, and the UAE, Abu Dhabi.
The Saudi Press Agency said that the two sides discussed aspects of relations between Riyadh and Paris, and areas of partnership between them, in addition to prospects for bilateral cooperation and opportunities for its development in accordance with the Kingdom's Vision 2030, as well as the situation in the Middle East.
Upon his departure from Doha, Macron called on the countries of the region to help Lebanon economically, while Aoun expressed his hope that the resignation would put an end to what he described as the imbalance in Lebanese-Gulf relations.
For his part, Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati said that Qardahi's resignation was necessary, and that it would open a door to addressing the problem of the relationship with Saudi Arabia and the Gulf states.