Saudi Arabia lifts 5-year ban on Lebanese imports, marking a thaw in Gulf-Lebanon ties
BEIRUT (AP) — Saudi Arabia announced Wednesday the end of a ban it imposed five years ago on imports from Lebanon. This marks an important step in attempts to rebuild relations between Lebanon and the Gulf states.
Kingdom slapped Ban on Lebanese fruits and vegetables He said they were used in drug trafficking in 2021. In one notable case, Saudi Arabia announced that it had seized more than 5 million pills of the amphetamine drug Captagon hidden in a shipment of pomegranates from Lebanon.
Months later, the rich Gulf country extended the ban All Lebanese products were fined after Lebanon’s then-Minister of Information, George Kordahi, publicly criticized Saudi Arabia’s war against Iran-backed rebels in Yemen.
The basis of the diplomatic crisis was Saudi Arabia’s regional rivalry with Iran and its dissatisfaction with Iran’s influence. Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah in Lebanon. The ban comes at a time when Lebanon’s economy is already reeling from a major financial crisis and currency collapse.
Saudi Arabia’s foreign ministry said on Wednesday that the ban had been rescinded by order of the Crown. Prince Mohammed bin Salman It came as a result of “the positive steps taken by the Lebanese state.”
It was not specified what those steps were, but last year the Lebanese government announced plans to disarm all non-state groups, including Hezbollah. Before the outbreak of the latest Israel-Hezbollah war, the Lebanese army had made progress in implementing the plan in southern Lebanon.
In his statement, Lebanese President Joseph Aoun thanked Bin Salman for the decision and said that the decision “will make a concrete contribution to the revival of the national economy and the provision of support to large segments of Lebanese producers and exporters.”
Lebanon’s current government, which came to power last year with the promise of reform, is looking for ways to rebuild ties with the Gulf countries. Lebanese officials before the outbreak of the latest war Courting Gulf tourists Deciding to return to the country in the hope of revitalizing the economy, some Gulf countries lifted travel bans that prevented their citizens from visiting Lebanon.
