Unlike the rest of the region, Qatar did not recall its ambassador to Lebanon.
Lebanonโs Speaker of Parliament Nabih Berri has met with Qatarโs ambassador to Beirut along with other GCC envoys in the country as it aims to mend its ties with countries of the region.
According to Qatarโs Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA), Berri and Qatarโs Ambassador to Lebanon Ibrahim bin Abdulaziz Al Sahlawi discussed bilateral ties between the two countries.
The Lebanese official also met with Saudi Arabiaโs envoy Walid Al-Bukhari and Kuwaitโs Ambassador to Lebanon Abdel-Al Al-Qenaโi.
The meetings signal the resumption of ties between Lebanon and countries in the Gulf following last yearโs dispute. The rift was triggered by remarks made by former Lebanese Information Minister George Kordahi .
The comments were made over the Saudi-led coalitionโs military intervention in Yemen, which Kordahi described as โfutileโ.
Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, the UAE and Yemen withdrew their ambassadors from the country shortly after the statements were made by the former Lebanese official, who resigned in December.
Unlike the rest of the region, Qatar did not recall its ambassador to Lebanon.
The Gulf state had denounced Kordahiโs comments at the time and called on the Lebanese government โto urgently take necessary measuresโ to address the situation.
On 7 April, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Yemen announced the return of their ambassadors to Lebanon.
Riyadhโs news agency (SPA) said that the Kingdomโs decision came โas a responseโ to Beirutโs Prime Minister Najib Mikatiโs and โmoderate Lebanese political forcesโ โcommitment to stoppingโ all political, military and security activitiesโ that affect Saudi Arabia and the rest of the GCC.
โ[Saudi Arabia] stresses the importance of the return of the Republic of Lebanon to its Arab depth, represented by its national institutions and agencies, for Lebanon to prevail in peace and security,โ added SPA.
Kuwaitโs ambassador said that the latest meeting is โa downright evidence that the Kuwaiti initiative has succeeded.โ
โThe House Speaker has stressed that the Kuwaiti initiative has diligently led to the restoration of relations; this initiative will be a starting point to further strengthen ties between our brotherly countries,โ said Al-Qenaโi.
Speaking to reporters last month in Qatar, on the sidelines of the Doha Forum, Mikati described the rift as โa summer cloud that has passed.โ
The rift has contributed to Lebanonโs worsening economic situation, given its heavy reliance on foreign donors including the Gulf region.
Saudi Arabia and Lebanonโs ties have become fragile over the years due to the growing influence of the Iran-backed Hizbullah movement in the country.
Lebanon has turned into an arena where rivalry between Saudi Arabia and Iran has been taking place. Riyadh has backed some Sunni and Maronite groups as Tehran supports the Shia Hizbullah movement.
The foreign intervention was seen in 2017 when then-Prime Minister, Saad Hariri was summoned to Saudi Arabia and reportedly forced to resign. Hariri also ended his political career in January this year.
Lebanon itself is made up of several social segments, including Shia Muslims, Sunni Muslims, Druze, Maronites, and other sects of Christianity.
Various segments engaged in a bloody civil war in 1975, which lasted for 15 years. To date, Lebanon continues to struggle with the impact of the war that deepened sectarianism in the country.
Lebanonโs economic crisis is now the worst since the end of the civil war in 1990. The Lebanese lira has lost 90% of its value to the US dollar since 2019.
The population is unable to access their savings from local banks and are struggling to meet their daily necessities.
The World Bank has described the situation in Lebanon as one of the worst financial crises in modern times.
Over the past months, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) held talks with the Lebanese government over a financial recovery plan. On 7 April, the organisation said it reached a draft funding agreement with Lebanon.
The IMF noted that Beirut had to carry out economic reforms in order to approve the plan.
In December last year, France and Saudi Arabia agreed to establish an aid mechanism that would help the country cope with its multi-crises.
Qatar also offered to step in to help resolve Lebanonโs crisis once it forms a government.
Parliamentary elections are scheduled to take place on 15 May, the first since the 2019 revolution.
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