The prime minister of Lebanon met with the de facto leader of Syria in Damascus News

Mikati from Lebanon and al-Sharaa from Syria discuss bilateral issues between the two countries, including smuggling and border issues.

Lebanon’s interim prime minister, Najib Mikati, said Beirut and Damascus would work together to secure land borders, as well as demarcate both land and sea borders.

In the first visit by a Lebanese prime minister to neighboring Syria in 15 years, Mikati spoke at a joint press conference with Syria’s de facto leader Ahmed al-Sharaa in the capital Damascus on Saturday.

Al-Sharaa said the two countries discussed issues such as smuggling, border issues and Syrian deposits in Lebanese banks.

He said he looked forward to a “long-term strategic relationship” with neighboring Lebanon after the crisis-hit country elected a much-needed president.

“We and Lebanon have great common interests,” al-Shara said.

Both parties agreed to form committees to address these issues and provide support.

Al Jazeera’s Hamza Muhammad, reporting from Damascus, said the two leaders agreed to work to curb smuggling between the two countries.

“Smugglers used to send weapons and drugs from Syria to Lebanon.

“It was very important for the Lebanese leader and he mentioned it,” our correspondent added.

Lebanon’s eastern border is porous and notorious for smuggling.

The Lebanese armed group Hezbollah supported Assad with fighters during the Syrian civil war.

However, the Iran-aligned movement weakened after a war with Israel killed its longtime leader and damaged the group’s firepower. they captured Damascus last month.

Refugees

Al-Jazeera’s Mohamed also said that Al-Sharaa stressed that his country was trying to find a way to deal with the issue of Syrian refugees in Lebanon – a huge burden on the country’s crippled economy.

There are an estimated 1.5 million Syrian refugees in Lebanon who fled the country’s civil war in 2011.

The nearly 13-year-old conflict has killed more than half a million people, destroyed the economy and forced millions to flee their homes, internally and externally.

of Lebanon newly elected the president Joseph Aun He said Thursday was a historic opportunity for “serious and fair dialogue” with Syria.

During the 50 years that the al-Assad family was in power, Syria had significant influence over Lebanon, maintaining a military presence for 29 years in the face of widespread opposition from many Lebanese.

Syria withdrew its troops under international pressure in 2005 after the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.