Lebanese PM makes first official visit to Syria in 15 years

Lebanese caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati will meet with Syria’s de facto leader, Ahmed al-Sharaa, in Damascus on January 11, marking the first visit by a Lebanese head of government to the Syrian capital since the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime. This historic visit is also the first by a Lebanese prime minister to Syria in 15 years.

Mikati’s visit follows a telephone invitation from Sharaa, who assumed leadership after the fall of Assad, Caliber.Az reports per foreign media.

It comes at a time when Lebanon’s new president, Joseph Aoun, has expressed the opportunity for a "serious and equal dialogue" with Syria. Syria had exerted significant influence over Lebanon during the Assad family's nearly five-decade rule, maintaining troops in the country for 29 years until 2005, a presence that was largely opposed by many Lebanese.

Sharaa, who led the rebel forces that toppled Assad on December 8, pledged last month during a meeting with influential Lebanese Druze politician Walid Jumblatt in Damascus that Syria would refrain from interfering in Lebanon's domestic affairs.

Mikati is expected to be accompanied by Lebanese Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib, who emphasized in a call with his Syrian counterpart on December 26 that Lebanon is eager to establish positive, neighborly relations with Syria.

The last Lebanese premier to visit Damascus was Saad al-Hariri in 2010, during a period of ongoing tension between the two countries. Relations between Syria and Lebanon have been historically fraught, particularly since both nations gained independence in the 1940s. Syria’s role in Lebanon’s 1975-1990 civil war, as well as its military presence until 2005, left a lasting impact on Lebanese sentiment, with many viewing Syria’s presence as an occupation, although some groups supported it.

The assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik al-Hariri in 2005 led to widespread protests and international pressure, resulting in Syria’s withdrawal of troops from Lebanon. A subsequent investigation implicated senior Syrian and Lebanese officials in the killing, though Syria denied any involvement.

Fifteen years later, a UN-backed tribunal convicted three members of Hezbollah in absentia for the assassination. However, Hezbollah has denied any involvement in the plot.

By Vafa Guliyeva