Mikati said in a statement published by the National News Agency: “With regard to the words of Minister of Information George Qardahi, which is being circulated, and which is part of an interview I conducted with him several weeks before assuming his ministerial position, it is rejected and does not express the government’s position at all, especially with regard to the issue. Yemen and Lebanon’s relations with its Arab brothers, specifically the brothers in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the rest of the Gulf Cooperation Council.”
And the Lebanese Prime Minister added in his statement: “The Prime Minister and the government are keen to weave the best relations with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and they condemn any interference in its internal affairs from any party or party that came, which requires clarification.”
The statement stressed that “the Prime Minister announces Lebanon’s adherence to the ties of brotherhood with the brotherly Arab countries, which are clearly defined in the ministerial statement of the government whose name is spoken and expresses its policy and constants, the prime minister and the government as a whole.”
And Yemeni Foreign Minister Ahmed bin Mubarak issued directives to the Yemeni ambassador in Beirut, to deliver the Lebanese Foreign Ministry a letter of condemnation regarding Qardahi’s statements..
Bin Mubarak said that these statements are a departure from the clear Lebanese position towards Yemen and its condemnation of the Houthi coup and its support for all relevant Arab and UN resolutions..
For his part, Qardahi said that he did not intend in any way to offend Saudi Arabia and the UAE, saying that “their leadership and people have all the love and loyalty,” according to a statement published by the National News Agency.
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