Lebanese PM Saad al-Hariri meets with Egypt’s ambassador

CAIRO – 5 January 2018: Lebanese Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri met on Friday with Egypt’s Ambassador to Lebanon Nazih el-Nagari, and they discussed several issues of mutual interest between Cairo and Beirut.

According to Nagari’s statements reported by media outlets, both officials discussed Egypt and Lebanon’s relations and the current cooperation between the two countries.

“We are strongly interested in having Lebanon’s support in all different fields,” Nagari said.

Egypt was one of the key players during Lebanon’s last crises on November 2017, when Hariri announced his sudden resignation in a short recorded video from Saudi Arabia. He later travelled for a quick visit to France with his family, where he met with French President Emmanuel Macron.

On November 21, Hariri arrived in Cairo and met Egyptian President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi. During their meeting, Sisi stressed Egypt’s full support for Lebanon’s stability, calling on all Lebanese parties to prioritize the national interests of the Lebanese people and reject any foreign interference in the country’s internal affairs.

On November 22, Lebanese Forces Party former Head Adviser Tawfiq Hindi said in statements to Egypt Today that President Sisi’s capability to participate in solving the Lebanese crisis is a highly trusted matter.

He added that Sisi and Hariri’s meeting conveyed a strong message to all the conflicting regional interests over Lebanon, including Iran. He stated that Egypt’s stance is clear regarding the refusal of any foreign interference in Lebanese affairs.

Hariri later returned to Lebanon and revoked his resignation over promises from the Lebanese president Michel Aoun to start a serious dialogue about his resignation’s reasons.