Lebanese President Michel Aoun said on Monday that his visit to Saudi Arabia was aimed at improving Lebanese-Saudi ties and expanding cooperation between the two countries in all fields.
“I came to the kingdom to dispel ambiguities. I carry (nothing but) friendliness and honesty towards the Saudi people,” Aoun told Saudi state news channel Al-Ekhbariya television channel on Monday evening.
The Lebanese president arrived in Saudi Arabia on Monday for a two-day official visit.
Aoun also said that internal wars only end through political solutions and voiced the importance of cooperation to combat terrorism.
“We all need to cooperate to fight terrorism. We need to cooperate with Saudi Arabia and with all countries because terrorism is no longer limited to Middle Eastern countries but it’s now across the entire world,” he told Al-Ekhbariya.
Addressing the Lebanese situation, Aoun said balances in Lebanon will strengthen each day, noting however that Lebanon bears the burden of the influx of Syrian refugees led to increasing the population during a short period of time thus resulting in huge financial burdens.
Aoun voiced hope that the crisis in Syria will be resolved peacefully and politically because refugees will thus be allowed to return to Syria and rebuild it.
A statement issued by Aoun’s press office Monday said that his Riyadh trip was at the invitation of Saudi Arabia’s King Salman.
The newly-elected president also said his ministers of foreign affairs, education, finance and information would meet their counterparts to discuss areas of cooperation.
Source: Agencies
