Hajjar: KSA's mediation contributed to successful coordination between Lebanon, Syria

BEIRUT — Interior Minister Ahmad Hajjar told the Saudi television channel Al-Hadath on Saturday that KSA's mediation contributed to the successful coordination between Lebanon and Syria.

Hajjar also noted that "combating drug trafficking is a Lebanese priority," adding that the change in the Syrian regime "helped put an end to drug production in Syria and Lebanon."

"There is security coordination between Syria and Lebanon to combat drugs," he pointed out.

Finally, Hajjar said that Lebanon is working to "create a safe environment for the return of tourists" and that there is "seriousness on the part of the state to assert its authority over the entire territory."

At the end of March, the Lebanese and Syrian defense ministers met in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. They agreed to strengthen security and military coordination along their 330-kilometer-long shared border, which is known to be porous and where various trafficking activities take place every day. They also signed an agreement in principle to demarcate the border.

In recent months, bilateral visits took place, notably the meetings between President Joseph Aoun and his Syrian counterpart Ahmad al-Sharaa, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam’s visit to Damascus and that of Syrian Foreign Minister Assaad al-Shaibani to Beirut.

Moreover, Syrian delegations have visited Beirut recently to discuss several issues that concern both countries, including combating illegal drug trade.

These visits are part of a process of reconciliation between the two countries after several decades of hostility marked by the Syrian occupation of Lebanon and the Syrian Civil War. With the toppling of the Assad regime in December, relations have seen a renewal. In August, Sharaa called for "state-to-state relations with Lebanon," insisting that there could be no "geographic curse" between the two countries.