Syria, Lebanon pledge firm ties after years of tensions ...Middle East

News by : (Daily Sun) -

Prime Minister Najib Mikati's trip came after Islamist-led rebels seized Damascus last month, bringing an end to the rule of Bashar al-Assad.

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.

It was time to “give the Syrian and Lebanese people a chance to build a positive relationship”, he said, adding he hoped Joseph Aoun’s presidency would usher in an era of stability in Lebanon.

Mikati said ties should be based on “mutual respect, equality and national sovereignty”.

- Syrian refugees -

After mending ties with Damascus, his son Saad Hariri was the last Lebanese premier to visit the Syrian capital in 2010 before the civil war.

With Hezbollah weakened after two months of full-scale war with Israel late last year and Assad now gone, Syrian and Lebanese leaders seem eager to work to solve long-pending issues.

Their return to Syria had become “an urgent matter in the interest of both countries”, Mikati said.

Mikati also said it was a priority “to draw up the land and sea borders between Lebanon and Syria“, calling for creation of a joint committee to discuss the matter.

Lebanon has hoped to draw the maritime border so it can begin offshore gas extraction after reaching a similar agreement with Israel in 2022.

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 imposed new restrictions on the entry of Lebanese citizens last week, following what Lebanon's army said was a border skirmish with unnamed armed Syrians.

Several foreign dignitaries have headed to Damascus in recent weeks to meet the new leaders, with a delegation from Oman also in town earlier 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.

Syria's war has killed more than half a million people and ravaged the country's economy since starting in 2011 with the brutal crackdown of anti-Assad protests.

Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( Syria, Lebanon pledge firm ties after years of tensions )

Also on site :

Most Viewed News
جديد الاخبار