Saudi Arabia announces resumption of Lebanese imports

Saudi Arabia announced the resumption of Lebanese exports to the kingdom, following a phone call between Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah Al Saud and Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam on Wednesday, reported Xinhua, quoting the Saudi Press Agency. The decision was ordered by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud in response to a request by Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and Salam, according to the agency. It acknowledges recent steps by the Lebanese government to rebuild state institutions and progress made by relevant teams over the past year, as well as Lebanon's cooperation in meeting required commitments, the report added. During the phone call, the Saudi top diplomat reaffirmed his country's support for Lebanon's stability, territorial sovereignty, and the well-being of its people, expressing confidence that Lebanon would continue to prevent its territory from being used as a platform to harm neighboring countries. This move follows years of declining trade ties after Riyadh halted certain Lebanese imports, especially agricultural products, in 2021 following the discovery that some shipments were being used to smuggle narcotics. Since then, Saudi Arabia had conditioned trade progress on stricter Lebanese export controls and measures to combat drug smuggling.