Hariri Meets Saudi Defense Minister in Riyadh

Prime Minister Saad Hariri held a meeting on Thursday with Saudi Deputy Crown Prince, Second Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Mohammed bin Salman at the latter's office in Riyadh, Hariri's press office said in a statement.

The meeting with the Saudi deputy, who is leading a massive campaign to introduce reforms to the world's largest oil exporter, reviewed the bilateral relations between the two countries as well as latest developments in the Middle East.

In an indication of warming relations between Riyadh and Hariri, the PM had accompanied Saudi King Salman to Riyadh aboard a royal Saudi plane after the end of the Arab Summit in Jordan on Wednesday.

Hariri had also traveled with the monarch onboard a helicopter that carried them from the Arab Summit's venue in the Dead Sea region to the Jordanian capital Amman.

President Michel Aoun, Economy Minister Raed Khoury, Foreign Minister Jebran Bassil and Hariri attended the Arab League Summit at the Dead Sea in Jordan.

Hariri's trip to SA is the first official announced visit since his Saudi Oger company started facing major financial difficulties in the kingdom in 2015.

Hariri's visit represents a significant return to Saudi Arabia after a long absence due to financial difficulties faced by Saudi Oger, forcing it to lay off hundreds of employees in Saudi Arabia, which negatively affected the institutions he owns in Lebanon.