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Monday, May 12, 2025
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Amir leads welcome for Lebanese president

publish time

11/05/2025

publish time

11/05/2025

KUWAIT CITY, May 11, (KUNA): President of Lebanon Joseph Aoun and his accompanying delegation arrived on Sunday in Kuwait on an official visit to the country. He was received at the airport by His Highness the Amir Sheikh Meshal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, and His Highness the Crown Prince Sheikh Sabah Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah. National Guard Chief Sheikh Mubarak Al-Humoud Al-Sabah, Acting Prime Minister Sheikh Fahad Yousef Saud Al-Sabah, Minister of Amiri Diwan Affairs Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah Al- Sabah, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs Sherida Al-Maousherji, Minister of Defense and Acting Minister of Interior Sheikh Abdullah Ali Al-Sabah, Minister of Foreign Affairs Abdullah Al- Yahya and senior state officials were also among those who welcomed the Lebanese president. The honor mission accompanying the president was formed from the Amiri Diwan headed by Advisor at the Amiri Diwan Mohammad Abu Al-Hassan.

President Aoun is accompanied by an official delegation that includes Minister of Foreign Affairs Youssef Rajji and a number of senior officials of Lebanon. Lebanon’s President Joseph Aoun on Sunday extolled Beirut’s “deeprooted” relations with Kuwait, saying these ties are based on mutual respect and cooperation across various fields. Expressing his “pleasure” to answer His Highness the Amir Sheikh Meshal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah’s invitation, the Lebanese president told KUNA that his official visit to Kuwait typified the “historic and brotherly” relations that Kuwait and Beirut share. He went on to say that the Lebanese people were immensely grateful for Kuwait’s persistent support, particularly at a time where Beirut was in the throes of adversity, citing that his visit should give impetus to a raft of fresh bilateral agreements.

On what issues he plans on discussing with His Highness the Amir, the Lebanese president said that existential challenges amid “trying circumstances” and matters of mutual concern were on top of the agenda. The Lebanese president’s visit to Kuwait should be instrumental in ushering in new growth in bilateral relations, while paving the way for broader cooperation between the two nations, he added. When one mentions the relations between the State of Kuwait and the Lebanese Republic, they could visualize ties that bind the two peoples historically on multifaceted levels. The two Arab countries had solidified their ties since the 1920s and 40s and through a number of high-level meetings and visits, which began in the early 1960s when Lebanon established a non-resident embassy in Kuwait in December of 1962 and officially opened its embassy in 1964. Kuwait had opened its first embassy in 1962 and had its first Ambassador, Mohammad Al-Ghanim, supervise Kuwaiti diplomatic connections with the Lebanese government. Perhaps the true test of ties was in 1990 during the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait when Lebanon took a firm stance against the heinous act, calling for an immediate withdrawal of the invading troops. Prior to that, Kuwait stood in solidarity with Lebanon during its darkest hours of the civil war, with the former country heading in 1988 a six-party Arab League Committee that paved the way for the national reconciliation document and the end of the war via the Taif agreement.

On high state visits, in 1993, late Sheikh Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah visited Lebanon on August 24, 1993, the first GCC leader to visit Lebanon since the civil war began there in 1975. This visit also displayed Kuwait’s gratitude to the Lebanese people who stood in support of Kuwait during the Iraqi invasion. In 1996 also, the Crown Prince and later father Amir Sheikh Saad Al-Abdullah Al-Salem Al-Sabah visited to display similar sentiments. In May of 2010, late Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah went to Lebanon on an official visit, signing six agreements to expand cooperation on various levels. In 2018, former President Michael Aoun came to Kuwait, holding talks with then Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah and a number of Kuwaiti officials. Economically, Kuwait and Lebanon have distinct levels of relations, signing a variety of accords throughout the decades. In 2018, the Kuwaiti-Lebanese business personnel economic committee was established to promote business and commerce, and also the Lebanese business council in Kuwait was establish, hosting a number of key investors and businessmen. The Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development (KFAED) contributed to the development of Lebanon, providing grants and loans to develop agriculture and infrastructural projects. Kuwait had also provided support to Lebanon through numerous conferences including the CEDRE conference to support the Lebanese economy, hosted in Paris in April 2018 in which Kuwait offered a grant of USD 500 million.