BEIRUT: Syria’s foreign minister visited Lebanon on Friday for the first high-level official trip since President Bashar al-Assad’s ouster in December.
Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani described his Beirut visit as demonstrating a new Syrian approach toward Lebanon based on sovereignty and non-interference.
“We want to overcome the obstacles of the past together with Lebanon,“ Shaibani stated during a joint press conference with Lebanese Foreign Minister Youssef Raggi.
Raggi confirmed that both neighbours were establishing a new path forward in their bilateral relationship.
Key discussion topics included the status of Syrian prisoners in Lebanese detention facilities and demarcating their 330-kilometre border.
Lebanon continues to host over one million Syrian refugees who fled civil war, though more than 294,000 have returned home this year according to UN data.
Shaibani announced after meeting President Joseph Aoun that refugee returns would be handled gradually through internationally supported plans.
Assad’s removal significantly impacted Lebanon’s political landscape and weakened his ally Hezbollah.
Lebanon’s current government took office this year following a devastating war between Israel and Hezbollah that reduced the militant group’s political dominance.
Hezbollah lost a crucial ally and supply route when Assad was ousted from power.
The Lebanese government has assigned its army the task of disarming Hezbollah, which retained weapons after Lebanon’s civil war.
Shaibani also met Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, who previously visited Damascus for talks with Syrian leader Ahmed al-Sharaa in April.
Lebanon and Syria’s defence ministers signed a border security agreement in March after deadly clashes killed 10 people.
Shaibani’s delegation included Justice Minister Mazhar al-Wais for discussions on judicial matters.
Approximately 2,250 Syrian nationals are detained in Lebanese prisons, representing about one-third of the total inmate population.
A judicial official confirmed around 700 prisoners meet extradition conditions but require a new bilateral agreement.
Hundreds of Syrian detainees face terrorism-related charges including attacks on Lebanese security forces in military courts.
Other prisoners are accused of membership in jihadist or armed groups that opposed the Assad government, with some still awaiting trial.
Syria established dominance in Lebanon after President Hafez al-Assad intervened in the 1975-1990 Lebanese civil war.
His son Bashar withdrew Syrian troops in 2005 following massive protests over former Prime Minister Rafic Hariri’s assassination.
Sharaa declared in December that Syria would respect Lebanon’s sovereignty and refrain from interference in its internal affairs. – AFP
