Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam is scheduled to visit Syria next week in a move aimed at rebooting bilateral relations and tackling long-standing issues that have plagued ties between the two neighbouring countries.
Official Lebanese sources confirmed to The New Arab‘s Arabic language edition, Al-Araby Al-Jadeed, that the visit would focus on key security and economic files, most notably border demarcation and smuggling – two issues that have taken on heightened urgency in recent months.
According to Lebanese sources, the visit seeks to “correct the trajectory of the relationship” and “open a new chapter based on good neighbourliness”, with particular attention to reviewing and updating old agreements and negotiating new ones.
Cooperation is expected to extend to energy, transit, trade, and the oil and gas sectors – areas where both nations face urgent needs and potential mutual gains.
With Lebanon grappling with a severe economic crisis – its worst since the civil war – officials in Beirut see increased cooperation with Syria as a way to access regional trade routes, secure energy supplies, and stabilise border regions that are often used for smuggling fuel, arms, and goods.
Tensions along the Lebanon-Syria border flared last month after deadly clashes involving smugglers and armed groups, raising fears of a wider security deterioration.
In response, Lebanese and Syrian defence ministers met in Riyadh on 28 March in talks hosted by Saudi Defence Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman. There, the two sides signed a preliminary agreement on border demarcation and formed committees to address legal, military, and security coordination.
“The visit by Prime Minister Salam follows on momentum from that meeting, and reflects a broader diplomatic push to contain border instability and resume institutional dialogue after years of disengagement,” a Lebanese source told Al-Araby Al-Jadeed.
The renewed diplomatic effort is also being supported by France, with President Emmanuel Macron calling Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa on the same day as the Riyadh talks.
The conversation reportedly focused on safeguarding the fragile calm along the Lebanon-Syria border and the need for coordinated steps to prevent a return to violence.
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, who was visiting Paris at the time, emphasised the importance of “direct, high-level coordination” and proposed reciprocal visits between Lebanese and Syrian officials to ensure follow-through on agreements and prevent miscommunication.
President al-Sharaa welcomed the initiative and invited Lebanon’s president, foreign minister, and defence minister to Damascus for continued talks on unresolved matters.
On the ground, the Lebanese army has intensified patrols along the northern and eastern borders to halt smuggling operations and illegal crossings.
