RIYADH: Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri met Saudi King Salman on Wednesday, in his first visit back to the country since he announced his resignation in the kingdom.
Hariri announced on November 4 that he was stepping down in a televised address from Riyadh, only to rescind it the following month after France intervened.
Saudi Arabia’s state news agency SPA said Hariri and King Salman discussed “bilateral relations and recent developments in Lebanon.”
It published pictures of the two leaders locked in a firm handshake.
He is also due to hold talks with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, whose impact on the kingdom’s policies has steadily expanded since his appointment as heir to the throne in June.
His visit comes after a meeting Monday in Beirut with Saudi envoy Nizar Al-Alula during which Hariri said he received and accepted an invitation to travel to Riyadh.
Alula also met with President Michel Aoun, who told him of Lebanon’s desire to “maintain the best relations” with the Gulf state.
Lebanon will hold legislative elections on May 6, the country’s first since 2009.
Saudi Arabia’s King Salman meets Lebanon’s Prime Minister Saad Hariri
Saudi Arabia’s King Salman meets Lebanon’s Prime Minister Saad Hariri
Saudi Foreign Ministry receives credentials of new Somali and Malian ambassadors
RIYADH: On behalf of the Foreign Minister, Saudi Deputy Minister for Protocol Affairs Abdulmajeed Al-Smari received copies of the credentials of the newly appointed ambassadors of Somalia and Mali on Thursday, the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced on X.
Al-Smari received the credentials of Mohamed Amin Sheikh Osman, the new Somali ambassador to the Kingdom.
Osman succeeded Owais Haji Yusuf, who has served in the role since 2023. Yusuf was recently appointed as the national security adviser to Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud.
The deputy minister also received the credentials of Ibrahima Dahirou Dembele, the newly appointed ambassador of Mali to the Kingdom. Dembele replaces Diall Boubacar Gouro, who has led the Malian mission in Riyadh since 2024.
