Saudi Envoy Visits Lebanese Officials, Emphasizes Presidential Election as Internal Lebanese Matter

Lebanon’s Maronite Patriarch Bechara al-Rai welcomes Saudi Ambassador to Lebanon Waleed al-Bukhari (Maronite Patriarchate)
Lebanon’s Maronite Patriarch Bechara al-Rai welcomes Saudi Ambassador to Lebanon Waleed al-Bukhari (Maronite Patriarchate)
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Saudi Envoy Visits Lebanese Officials, Emphasizes Presidential Election as Internal Lebanese Matter

Lebanon’s Maronite Patriarch Bechara al-Rai welcomes Saudi Ambassador to Lebanon Waleed al-Bukhari (Maronite Patriarchate)
Lebanon’s Maronite Patriarch Bechara al-Rai welcomes Saudi Ambassador to Lebanon Waleed al-Bukhari (Maronite Patriarchate)

The Saudi Arabian envoy to Lebanon, Waleed al-Bukhari, has reaffirmed the Kingdom’s position on the Lebanese presidential election, characterizing it as an internal political affair for Lebanon.

The statement was relayed by a spokesperson for the Maronite Patriarchate in Lebanon after al-Bukhari’s meeting with Maronite Patriarch Bechara al-Rai, which took place during the envoy’s second day of engagements with Lebanese religious and political leaders.

Following his departure from Bkerke, Ambassador al-Bukhari refrained from making any public comments.

However, according to Waleed Ghayyad, the media officer at the Patriarchate, al-Bukhari extended Saudi Arabia’s greetings to al-Rai and lauded his efforts and initiatives aimed at breaking the deadlock in the presidential election.

Ghayyad applauded al-Bukhari’s acknowledgement of the grave consequences that the presidential vacuum posed to Lebanon’s future and underlined the pressing need to achieve a consensus on this vital issue.

According to Ghayyad, al-Bukhari emphasized the need to end the presidential vacuum as soon as possible, affirming that the Patriarch’s initiatives can promote partnership and preserve national unity in Lebanon.

Ghayyad added that the Kingdom regards the presidential election as a quintessentially Lebanese political matter, emphasizing that decisions on political choices are made and taken in Beirut. He pointed out that the Kingdom is opposed to any external interference in this issue.

Al-Bukhari, as per Ghayyad, also emphasized that Saudi Arabia is confident in the Lebanese people’s ability to reach an agreement that restores the trust of the international community and helps in finding suitable solutions to the political, economic, and security crises in Lebanon.

Moreover, the Saudi diplomat reaffirmed that the Kingdom has no objections to any presidential candidate who has the trust of the Lebanese people, and that any president elected by the parliament will be welcomed by the Kingdom, which is keen on cooperation and supporting Lebanon.



Saudi Arabia Urges End to Israel’s Assault on Gaza, Holding it Accountable

Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Crown Prince and Prime Minister, chairs the cabinet meeting in Riyadh. (SPA)
Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Crown Prince and Prime Minister, chairs the cabinet meeting in Riyadh. (SPA)
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Saudi Arabia Urges End to Israel’s Assault on Gaza, Holding it Accountable

Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Crown Prince and Prime Minister, chairs the cabinet meeting in Riyadh. (SPA)
Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Crown Prince and Prime Minister, chairs the cabinet meeting in Riyadh. (SPA)

The Saudi government stressed on Tuesday the importance of ending the Israeli assault on Gaza and activating international accountability mechanisms to hold Israel responsible for its actions.

It also underlined the need for delivering humanitarian aid to Gaza to ease the suffering of the Palestinian people.

Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Crown Prince and Prime Minister, chaired the cabinet meeting that was held in Riyadh.

The government welcomed the outcomes of the ministerial meeting held in Madrid aimed at coordinating efforts on the situation in Gaza and steps to implement the two-state solution.

Crown Prince Mohammed briefed the cabinet on the message he received from Angola’s President Joao Manuel Goncalves Lourenco. He also briefed them on the separate meetings he held with Egypt’s Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly and Chinese Premier Li Qiang during their visits to the Kingdom.

The cabinet highlighted the outcomes of the Fourth Meeting of the High-Level Saudi-Chinese Joint Committee, which it said embodied the comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries. It emphasized the mutual interest in bolstering bilateral cooperation across various fields, including political, security, military, energy, trade, investment, financial, scientific, technical, cultural, and tourism sectors.

After the cabinet session, Minister of Media Salman bin Yousef Al-Dossary said the government praised the discussions held by Madbouly with senior Saudi officials during his visit.

The talks underscored the strength of the unique fraternal relations that bind Riyadh and Cairo and reflect a joint will to deepen cooperation in various fields.

The cabinet reviewed Saudi Arabia’s participation at international and regional meetings and its ongoing efforts to cooperate with countries and organizations across the globe to achieve regional security and stability.

The cabinet reviewed the Kingdom's speech at the 68th session of the General Conference of the International Atomic Energy Agency. It emphasized the ongoing implementation of the national nuclear energy project and the construction of the first nuclear power plant to achieve sustainable development in line with national requirements and international obligations.

Additionally, it highlighted Saudi Arabia’s plans to host an international conference on nuclear emergencies in cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency at the end of 2025, reflecting the Kingdom's commitment to preparing for nuclear and radiological emergencies and strengthening the capacity to address them.

The cabinet reiterated the Kingdom's emphasis, during the G20 meetings, on the importance of deepening international cooperation and joint efforts to achieve global food security and support the benefits of the space economy through adopting strategic transformations and providing sustainable solutions in these two areas.

The government reviewed the outcomes of the international conferences and events recently hosted by the Kingdom, which align with national visions and aspirations to strengthen the country's position and leadership in various fields while opening new horizons to boost its present and future role on the global stage.

Moreover, the cabinet praised the third Global AI Summit, which included the launch of initiatives and programs and signing of over 80 local and international agreements, which will help in boosting technological innovation and developing modern technologies that serve sustainable development goals and support the digital economy.

Furthermore, the ministers deemed the Kingdom's classification as a Tier 1—Role-modelling in the United Nations Global Cybersecurity Index (GCI) 2024 as a reflection of its advanced position in relevant international indicators, along with a series of accomplishments and successes achieved over the past years at all levels.

The cabinet also reviewed the most prominent statistics related to the national economy, including the stability of inflation rates at 1.6% over the past three months and the 4.9% annual growth of non-oil activities in the second quarter of this year on an annual basis. It underlined the strength of the Kingdom's economy and the effectiveness of the procedures and measures taken to address global economic variables.