Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati made his first visit to Syria since the fall of the ousted president Bashar al-Assad to hold talks with the leader of the new Syrian administration, Ahmed al-Sharaa, addressing border security and refugees.
After their meeting at the People’s Palace in Damascus on Saturday, January 11, al-Sharaa said during a joint press conference with Mikati, “Syria stands at an equal distance from all parties in Lebanon.”
He added that Syria is establishing a new phase of Syrian-Lebanese relations “based on mutual respect.”
Al-Sharaa also stated that he agreed with Mikati on the existence of specialized committees regarding borders, smuggling issues, and economic matters, noting that “our priority now is the security of Syria and limiting weapons to the hands of the Syrian state.”
For his part, Mikati mentioned that what binds Syria and Lebanon through good neighborliness is the foundation that will govern the nature of cooperation in the coming phase.
He expressed his comfort regarding the future of Lebanese-Syrian relations.
Mikati added during the press conference, “I sensed in al-Sharaa an enthusiasm for the return of Syrian refugees in Lebanon to their country.”
This visit by the Lebanese Prime Minister is the first of its kind for the head of government since the outbreak of the Syrian revolution in 2011.
Mikati’s visit to Damascus comes following the election of the Commander of the Lebanese Army, General Joseph Aoun, as the President of Lebanon after two rounds of elections held by the Lebanese Parliament.
Aoun delivered a speech before the Parliament after the elections on January 9, in which he pledged to begin a serious dialogue with the Syrian state and to establish good relations, especially respecting the sovereignty and stability of both countries.
The last visit of a Lebanese Foreign Minister to Syria was in February 2023, when he met then ousted president Bashar al-Assad. The visit addressed humanitarian issues and the repercussions of the devastating earthquake that affected several areas in Syria.
On December 22, 2024, the former president of the Progressive Socialist Party of Lebanon, Walid Jumblatt, visited Syria after the regime’s fall and met Ahmed al-Sharaa.
During his meeting with Jumblatt, al-Sharaa emphasized that Syria will never engage in negative interference in Lebanon and respects Lebanon’s sovereignty, territorial integrity, and stability of its decision-making.
Al-Sharaa stated, “We seek, with advice, love, and affection, to help Lebanon emerge from its sectarian division to a state where roles are distributed based on competencies and to move away from the sectarian situation, as power-sharing in the way it currently exists in Lebanon will not lead to construction.”