DAMASCUS, Syria: Syria’s new leader and Lebanon’s prime minister pledged on Saturday to build lasting ties during the first visit by a Lebanese head of government to Damascus since 2011.
Prime Minister Najib Mikati’s trip came after the alliance of opposition groups toppled Bashar al-Assad’s government and seized power.
Syria’s new leader Ahmed al-Sharaa said he hoped to turn over a new leaf in relations, days after crisis-hit Lebanon finally elected a president this week following two years of deadlock.
“There will be long-term strategic relations between us and Lebanon. We and Lebanon have great shared interests,” said Sharaa.
It was time to “give the Syrian and Lebanese people a chance to build a positive relationship”, he said, adding that he hoped Joseph Aoun’s presidency would usher in an era of stability in Lebanon.
Sharaa said the new Syria would “stay at equal distance from all” in Lebanon, and “try to solve problems through negotiations and dialogue”.
Mikati said new ties should be based on “mutual respect, equality and national sovereignty”.
Land and sea borders
Taking office on Thursday, Aoun swore he would seize the “historic opportunity to start serious… dialogue with the Syrian state”.
Mikati said it was a priority “to draw up the land and sea borders between Lebanon and Syria”, calling for a joint committee to be set up to discuss the matter.
Lebanon has been hoping to draw the maritime border so that it can begin offshore gas extraction after reaching a similar agreement with Israel in 2022.
Smuggling
The Lebanese premier said both sides had stressed the need for “complete control of (land) borders, especially over illicit border points, to stem smuggling”.
Syria shares a 330-kilometre (205-mile) border with Syria with no official demarcation at several points, making it porous and prone to smuggling.
Syria imposed new restrictions on the entry of Lebanese citizens last week, following what the Lebanese army said was a border skirmish with unnamed armed Syrians.
Lebanese nationals had previously been allowed into Syria without a visa, using just their passport or ID card.
A string of foreign dignitaries have headed to Damascus in recent weeks to meet the new leaders, with a delegation from Oman also in town earlier on Saturday.
Italy’s Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani visited Damascus on Friday, while France’s Jean-Noel Barrot and his German counterpart Annalena Baerbock did last week.
Shaibani has visited Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Jordan since the start of the month, and said Friday he would head to Europe soon.
