Mon Apr 14 17:01:32 UTC 2025: ## Lebanon and Syria Seek to Reset Relations in Historic Meeting

**Damascus, Syria –** In a significant move towards reconciliation, Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam met with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa in Damascus on Monday. This marks the highest-level Lebanese visit to Syria since the formation of Lebanon’s new government in February and represents a crucial step in recalibrating the long-strained relationship between the two nations.

The talks focused on several key areas, including bolstering border security, combating smuggling, and ultimately demarcating the shared land and sea borders. This follows a recent security agreement signed by the countries’ defense ministers in Saudi Arabia, aimed at addressing deadly border clashes. The Lebanese delegation also pressed for a joint investigation into past political killings in Lebanon allegedly linked to the former Syrian regime.

A central topic of discussion was the repatriation of Syrian refugees currently in Lebanon. While Lebanon estimates hosting 1.5 million refugees, the UN has registered approximately 750,000. Prime Minister Salam also raised the issue of Lebanese detainees who disappeared in Syrian prisons under the previous regime.

The visit comes amid a shifting political landscape in both countries. The meeting was described by Lebanese officials as an opportunity to “correct the trajectory” of the relationship, acknowledging past tensions stemming from Syria’s past interference in Lebanon’s internal affairs. However, both sides expressed a mutual desire to move forward based on mutual respect and non-interference.

Prime Minister Salam, in a post on X following the meeting, emphasized the aim of opening “a new page in the history of relations between the two countries,” based on mutual respect, good neighborliness, and the preservation of sovereignty. The visit builds on a December meeting between President al-Sharaa and Lebanon’s former Prime Minister, signaling a potential turning point in decades of strained relations.

Read More