UAE initiates process to reopen embassy in Beirut

A high-level Emirati delegation has arrived in the Lebanese capital for undertaking necessary arrangements to reopen the UAE Embassy in Beirut.

"A high-level UAE delegation arrived in Lebanon's capital, Beirut, to undertake all necessary arrangements to reopen the UAE embassy in Beirut," the UAE Foreign Ministry said in a statement late Sunday.

It said the move was in response to the directives of UAE President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan following a phone call he held on Saturday with Joseph Aoun, a former army commander elected as Lebanon's new president.

The statement said reopening of the embassy "reflects the longstanding fraternal ties between the two countries and their peoples."

The ministry emphasized "the UAE's unwavering position toward Lebanon's unity, national sovereignty, and territorial integrity, as well as its support for the brotherly Lebanese people."

It said that the move comes within the framework of "strengthening bilateral relations," and Abu Dhabi's "steadfast" commitment to providing support to the Lebanese people across various sectors.

In October 2021, the UAE, along with Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and Bahrain, severed diplomatic ties with Lebanon following comments by then-Lebanese Information Minister George Kardahi on Saudi Arabia and the UAE's role in the war on Yemen, which continues since 2014.

Joseph Aoun was elected by the Lebanese parliament on Thursday, ending over two years of power vacuum since President Michel Aoun left office in October 2022.