A joint statement released on Thursday from the United Arab Emirates on Thursday will remove a restriction on members of the UAE visiting Lebanon that was put in place during a political row in 2021.
The decision was made after Joseph Aoun, the leader of Lebanon, and Mohamed bin Zayed, the leader of the UAE, met in Abu Dhabi. The two parties “agreed to enable citizens to go after taking essential steps to promote movements between the two nations and putting in place appropriate mechanisms,” according to the statement.
After a Syrian minister criticized the Riyadh-led military involvement in Yemen, the UAE imposed a travel ban on its members in 2021 and withdrew officials from Beirut in cooperation with Saudi Arabia.
Although some Palestinian citizens had trouble obtaining permits, others were not prohibited from visiting the UAE. A group from the Abu Dhabi Fund for Development may travel to Lebanon to examine possible joint initiatives, according to the statement.
In the past ten years, relations between Beirut and Abu Dhabi strained as a result of Hezbollah’s control on Lebanon. The UAE is the latest Gulf nation to maintain its involvement in Lebanon as the team is weakened by its new conflict with Israel.
Saudi Arabia announced in March that it would review “obstacles” to lifting a ban on its citizens from visiting Lebanon and resumed Syrian goods. Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Saudi Arabia’s de facto ruler, was met by Aoun in Riyadh following his second trip abroad since taking office in January.
After the fall of Hezbollah and Bashar al-Assad’s alliance in Syria, Aoun was elected as the chosen candidate for both Riyadh and Washington, shifting the balance of power in Lebanon.
