Lebanon's President Joseph Aoun is celebrating a win after the UAE agreed to lift a travel ban on its citizens from visiting the MENA state.
Aoun is on his first trip to Abu Dhabi since being appointed president in January, where he met UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan and toured the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in the capital.
Lebanon's new leader was touted as a change candidate who could improve relations with Gulf states following years of tensions between the two countries due to Hezbollah's role in Lebanese politics.
His visit to the UAE - as was his trip to Saudi Arabia in March - is seen as a way of rebuilding bridges with Gulf states.
Aoun reportedly had four objectives with the Abu Dhabi visit: to bolster support for the Lebanese Armed Forces, encourage Emirati investment in Lebanon, develop gas fields, and chiefly, to lift a travel ban on Emirati citizens to Lebanon, in place since Israel and Hezbollah went to war in October 2023, and ease visa restrictions on Lebanese citizens travelling to or working in the UAE.
On Thursday, the two leaders issued a joint statement, saying that the UAE had agreed to lift travel restrictions on Lebanon.
"It was decided to authorize the movement of citizens after the implementation of the necessary measures to facilitate mobility between the two countries, while expressing the desire to raise the level of diplomatic representation," the statement said.
"The past is behind us. The state is beginning to regain its presence, its capabilities, and its sovereignty, and all its components are cooperating for the future of Lebanon... We hope to see our Emirati brothers again on Lebanese soil."
The UAE said separately that it supports Lebanon's unity and territorial integrity, pledging to bolster the country's sovereignty, security, and stability.
For years, the UAE and other Gulf states have been uneasy about Hezbollah's growing role in Lebanese politics and the power of its militia.
A series of setbacks for Hezbollah during its war with Israel - notably the killing of its leader Hassan Nasrallah - saw the Lebanese Islamist movement greatly weakened on a political and military stage, leading to the appointment of Aoun as president and Nawaf Salam as prime minister, both of whom have pledged to disarm Hezbollah.
Aoun recently told The New Arab's Arabic-language edition that his government does not want a confrontation with Hezbollah and disarmament would come "step-by-step", saying he hoped all weapons would come under the control of the state - a key component in the Taif Agreement.
In March, Aoun travelled to Riyadh for his first overseas trip as president, where he met Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who offered political and financial support to the country.
It was the first visit to Saudi Arabia by a Lebanese head of state in eight years, underlining the improved relations with Gulf states under the new Beirut government.