The Syrian Minister of Social Affairs, Hind Kabawat, was received Tuesday by her Lebanese counterpart, Hanine Sayyed, in Beirut, marking the first visit by a Syrian minister to Lebanon since the fall of Bashar al-Assad's regime in December 2024.

This visit took place on the sidelines of the Arab Forum for Sustainable Development, organized by the Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA), from April 14 to 16 in Beirut. Central to the discussions between the two ministers were the issue of Syrian refugees in Lebanon and the prospects for cooperation between their ministries, according to the Telegram account of the Syrian Social Affairs and Labor Ministry.

As the only Christian minister in the new Syrian government, Kabawat took advantage of her visit to meet several Christian institutions in Lebanon, including the dean of the Maronite Central Council, former minister Wadih al-Khazen. She advocated for strengthening joint work between Beirut and Damascus.

After decades of tumultuous relations, marked by Syria's desire for dominance over its smaller neighbor, followed by Hezbollah's forceful involvement in the Syrian civil war, the two countries appear to be on the path to rehabilitating their ties and resolving pending issues. On Monday, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam visited Damascus, where he met with interim Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa. The Lebanese delegation also included the Ministers of Foreign Affairs Joe Raggi, Interior Ahmad Hajjar and Defense Michel Menassa. This was the first official visit of the new Lebanese executive, following the formation of the new Syrian government in late March.