Syria: Beirut and Damascus commit to building lasting ties

The new Syrian leader, Ahmad al-Chareh, and the Lebanese Prime Minister, Najib Mikati, affirmed Saturday from Damascus the commitment of the two countries to build lasting strategic ties, after decades of ambiguous relations.

This first visit by a Lebanese head of government since the start of the civil war in Syria in 2011 comes as the two neighboring countries seek to improve their relations since the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s power on December 8.

“There will be lasting strategic relations, with great common interests,” Ahmad al-Chareh said during a joint press conference, estimating that the election of Joseph Aoun as president would lead to a “stable situation” in the Lebanon.

“Resolve all problems through consultation and dialogue”

Thursday’s election of Joseph Aoun ended a vacancy of more than two years in the Lebanese presidency, blamed by his detractors on the pro-Iranian Hezbollah movement, which lost a strategic ally with the fall of Assad.

Ahmad al-Chareh called for forgetting “the spirit of past relations” between the two countries and “giving a chance” to the two peoples to establish “positive relations […] based on respect and sovereignty of the two States. “We will try to resolve all issues through consultation and dialogue,” he said.

The new authorities further indicated that Ahmad al-Chareh called Joseph Aoun to congratulate him on Saturday.

“Mutual respect, equality and national sovereignty”

During the call, the two leaders “confirmed their willingness to work towards building and strengthening positive relations between Syria and Lebanon […] and the common points that unite them.

Najib Mikati stressed that the new relations between the two countries must be based on “mutual respect, equality and national sovereignty”. “Syria is Lebanon’s natural gateway to the Arab world, and as long as it is well, Lebanon will be well,” he added.

Syria was for three decades a dominant political and military force in Lebanon, where it intervened during the 1975-1990 civil war and where numerous assassinations of political figures are attributed to it.

Pending files

It withdrew its troops in 2005 under local and international pressure, after the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.

Tensions between the two countries also arose from the military support provided by Hezbollah to former President Bashar al-Assad, an ally of Tehran, during the civil war in Syria which left more than 500,000 dead.

Faced with recent developments in the two countries, officials hope to open a new chapter in their relations and resolve outstanding issues.

The influx of two million Syrian refugees

Najib Mikati stressed that the return of Syrian refugees was “urgent for both countries”, indicating that he had perceived in Ahmad al-Chareh a desire to resolve this issue.

Lebanon has been particularly affected by the influx of two million Syrian refugees fleeing the fighting, and the country’s economic collapse in late 2019 has worsened an already fragile situation.

Najib Mikati declared that the delimitation of land and maritime borders was a “priority” and announced a plan for a joint commission on this issue, alongside efforts to “fight against border smuggling”. He stressed the need to strengthen mutual security measures to protect the two countries.

A border of 330 kilometers

Ahmad al-Chareh, however, clarified that his government’s priority was the internal situation and maintaining order.

Syria, which shares a 330-kilometer border with Lebanon, repeatedly refused to demarcate its borders with its neighbor during the Assad years, making them an easily accessible area for smugglers.

Foreign diplomatic delegations have visited Damascus one after the other

On January 3, the transitional Syrian authorities imposed new entry restrictions for Lebanese people.

Since the fall of Assad, foreign diplomatic delegations have followed one another in Damascus, the latest being that of the special envoy of the Sultanate of Oman, Sheikh Abdulaziz al-Hinai.

Oman, where Bashar al-Assad visited in February 2023, was the only Gulf country to have maintained diplomatic relations with Syria during the war.

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