The Saudi Charge d'Affaires in Lebanon, Walid al-Bukhari, and UAE Ambassador to Lebanon, Hamad Saeed Al-Shamsi, on Friday visited the Chouf district, touring a number of institutions in the region.
The Saudi envoy said the visit comes to voice the Kingdom's support to Lebanon in all its sects, communities and segments of society, notably the Druze community as an "essential guarantee for Lebanon's patriotism and its Arabism."
Bukhari expressed his hope for the formation of a government in the upcoming days, stressing the kingdom's keenness to "maintain the security and stability of Lebanon."
“We hope the government that Prime Minister[-designate] Saad Hariri expects is formed in the upcoming days, and that Lebanon has a balanced government so countries can start implementing projects that will help Lebanon’s economy flourish,” Bukhari was quoted as saying.
Bukhari also announced that his country is working on projects to support Lebanon’s stability and development. The ambassador said he heard remarks from Central Bank Governor Riad Salame regarding the economic situation, which Salame said is healthy.
“The Kingdom [of Saudi Arabia] has supported Lebanon through Roma 2, Brussels and CEDRE conferences,” Bukhari said. “We hope that the economy gets the support it needs after the government is formed,” he added.
The two ambassadors visited the Irfan Establishment in Semqanieh and ended their trip with a lunch at the house of the establishment’s head Sheikh Ali Zeineddine, where they were joined by the Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Joumblatt and MP Teymour Joumblatt.
Zeineddine then gifted Bukhari and Shamsi two antique swords.
