Lebanese PM Makes Landmark Visit to Syria Aiming to “Reset” Relations

Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam traveled to Damascus on Monday for talks with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, marking the first official visit of its kind since the ouster of former Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad, Al Jazeera reports.

The visit signals a concerted effort to recalibrate relations between the two nations, which have been strained for decades.

The delegation, the highest-level from Lebanon since the new government took office in February, aimed to “correct the course of ties between the two countries on the basis of mutual respect,” according to a Lebanese official. Recent political shifts in both countries, including al-Assad’s removal and a shift in power dynamics within Lebanon, have paved the way for a potential reset.

Following the talks, Salam posted on X, outlining his vision for a “new page” in Lebanese-Syrian relations, emphasizing “mutual respect, restoring trust, good neighbourliness, preserving the sovereignty of our two countries, and non-interference in each other’s internal affairs.”

Key topics discussed included border security, combating smuggling, and the long-awaited demarcation of the 205-mile land and sea borders. The meeting comes on the heels of a security agreement signed last month in Saudi Arabia by the two countries’ defense ministers, prompted by deadly border clashes.

Lebanon is also expected to push for a joint investigation into past political killings in Lebanon linked to Syria’s former leadership.

Another crucial issue on the agenda was the repatriation of Syrian refugees. Lebanon estimates it hosts 1.5 million Syrians, a significant strain on its resources, although the United Nations has registered only 750,000. Salam also vowed to raise the issue of Lebanese detainees who disappeared in Syrian prisons under al-Assad’s regime.

This visit builds on a December meeting between al-Sharaa and former Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati, the first such encounter since the start of the Syrian civil war in 2011. During that meeting, al-Sharaa pledged that Damascus would respect Lebanon’s sovereignty.