Lebanese premier Mikati trips to Damascus, first trip in 15 years
Date
1/12/2025 8:51:35 AM
(MENAFN) Lebanese caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati is set to meet with Syria's de facto leader, Ahmed al-Sharaa, in Damascus on Saturday, marking the first visit by a Lebanese head of government to Syria’s capital since the fall of Bashar al-Assad. This will also be the first visit by a Lebanese prime minister to Syria in 15 years.
Lebanon's newly elected president, Joseph Aoun, expressed on Thursday that there is a historic opportunity for "a serious and equal dialogue" with Syria, despite the significant influence Syria once had over Lebanon during the Assad family’s decades in power. Syria had stationed troops in Lebanon for 29 years until 2005, a presence that was met with opposition by many Lebanese.
Mikati received an invitation from Sharaa last week to visit Syria. Lebanese Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib, who is expected to accompany Mikati, indicated during a call with his Syrian counterpart on December 26 that Lebanon looks forward to fostering strong, neighbourly relations with Syria.
The last Lebanese premier to visit Damascus was Saad al-Hariri in 2010. Relations between the two neighboring nations have been complicated since their independence in the 1940s.
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