BEIRUT

The United Arab Emirates reached an agreement on Thursday with Lebanon to reopen its embassy in the capital Beirut, which has been closed since 2021.

Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati, who is visiting the UAE, was received by President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan at Al Shati Palace in the capital Abu Dhabi, according to the official UAE news agency WAM.

During the meeting, Al Nahyan said the UAE administration supports the territorial integrity, sovereignty and unity of Lebanon, wishing the Lebanese people to live in peace, security and prosperity.

The leaders discussed bilateral relations between the UAE and Lebanon and ways to strengthen them in development, economy and other fields.

During the meeting, Mikati also informed the UAE president about developments in Lebanon and the work being carried out to find solutions to the difficulties encountered.

The two leaders agreed to take the necessary steps to reopen the UAE’s embassy in Beirut and to establish a joint committee to develop a mechanism to facilitate the issuance of UAE visas to Lebanese nationals.

In a television program broadcast on Oct. 27, 2021, the then-Lebanese Minister of Information, George Kardahi, had made accusatory statements, appearing to call Saudi Arabia and the UAE aggressors in the war in Yemen, which led to a diplomatic crisis between Lebanon and the Gulf countries.

On Oct. 30 that year, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, the UAE and Bahrain announced that they had severed diplomatic and trade relations with the Beirut government.

*Writing by Merve Berker