Political forces are reflecting on the invitation received by caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati from the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, to attend the Arab-Chinese summit hosted by the kingdom in Riyadh on December 9. They view this as “indicating a new phase in the relations between the two countries, especially regarding the relationship with President Mikati.”
These forces remind that it is “the first time Mikati visits the kingdom as Prime Minister, even if it is a caretaker government. The last time Mikati visited Saudi Arabia was for the Hajj pilgrimage, during which he did not meet any Saudi officials due to the peak of the diplomatic crisis at that time.”
While sources close to President Mikati frame “the visit within its natural context as he is the primary official reference amid the constitutional void,” they hope, through the electronic newspaper "Al-Anba," that "the visit will lead to the improvement of relations between the two countries for the good of Lebanon, as Lebanon is part of the Arab world and cannot be isolated from its Arab surroundings."
In this regard, sources close to Saudi Ambassador Walid Boukhari confirm to "Al-Anba" that “the invitation will be aimed at improving relations and further developing them, especially since this invitation follows Mikati's participation in the 'Taif Forum' organized by the Saudi embassy, which was recently followed by the ambassador’s visit to Mikati in the Serail to deliver the invitation.”
