Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said Saturday that Lebanon and Syria had made "significant progress" in addressing longstanding issues between the two countries, following talks with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa. Salam led a ministerial delegation to Damascus for high-level discussions focused on border security, smuggling, detainees, Syrian refugees, economic cooperation and transport links between the neighbouring countries.
The Lebanese delegation included the country’s deputy prime minister, and ministers of Public Works and Transport, Energy and Water, and Economy and Trade. They met with their Syrian counterparts.
The visit is part of an ongoing effort to reset Lebanese-Syrian relations following the ouster of President Bashar al-Assad in December 2024. Ties had long been fraught between the two states during the Assad regime era.
Speaking after the meeting, Salam said the two sides had achieved "significant progress in addressing our shared issues, especially those that had remained unresolved," adding that talks were conducted in a "positive spirit" and with a commitment to cooperation "without reservation or hesitation."
He said he expected "tangible results" to emerge soon.
The premier said discussions included implementation of an agreement signed in February allowing the transfer of Syrian prisoners in Lebanese jails to Syria, as well as efforts to determine the fate of missing and forcibly disappeared people in both countries.
Thousands of Lebanese are believed to have gone missing in Syria during Lebanon’s 1975-1990 civil war and when Assad’s forces occupied Lebanon until 2005.
Syria is also emerging out of its own civil war which began in 2011 when the Assad regime brutally suppressed peaceful protests.
The two sides also agreed on the need to tighten control along their porous border and combat smuggling, while facilitating the movement of travellers and goods through official crossings.
Salam said officials held detailed talks on land transport, border crossings and infrastructure, including the rehabilitation of border bridges and efforts to resolve customs-related obstacles affecting trade between the two countries. The discussions also covered transit fees and tariffs imposed on exports.
The prime minister added that Beirut and Damascus agreed to strengthen cooperation on technical standards and laboratory inspections, while accelerating plans to establish a joint Lebanese-Syrian business council expected to convene in Damascus in the coming weeks.
Energy cooperation also featured prominently in the talks.
Salam said the two countries discussed improving electricity interconnection to facilitate Lebanon’s import of power through Syria, as well as a possible natural gas transit agreement. He said joint technical committees would be formed and ministerial-level coordination intensified.
Lebanon has suffered with a decades-long electricity crisis due to what observers say is widespread corruption and mismanagement in the energy sector. Syria’s energy sector has also been battered by the conflict.
Salam and Sharaa also stressed the importance of continued dialogue over the "safe and dignified" return of Syrian refugees from Lebanon and the regulation of Syrian labour in Lebanon.
Over a million Syrian refugees who escaped the violence in their country still reside in Lebanon. Many have returned since fighting resumed between Hezbollah and Israel two months ago.