After Salam’s visit to Syria, Syrian chargé d'affaires received in Baabda and Grand Serail

BEIRUT — The Syrian embassy’s chargé d’affaires in Lebanon, Iyad al-Hazaa, met on Wednesday with President Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, four days after Salam’s visit to Damascus aimed at expanding bilateral cooperation between Lebanon and Syria in several sectors.

Hazaa was first received at the Baabda Presidential Palace, where he reviewed bilateral relations with the head of state, according to the presidency’s website. He was then received at the Grand Serail by the PM, in the presence of Deputy Prime Minister Tarek Mitri.

"The discussions focused on practical measures to ensure follow-up on the results of PM Salam’s visit to Damascus within the framework of mutual interests," the presidency's X account reads.

More than a year after the fall of Bashar Assad’s regime, the Syrian chargé d’affaires was appointed in Beirut at the end of December 2025 to head his country’s diplomatic mission in Lebanon.

After decades of turbulent relations, characterized by mistrust driven by hegemonic ambitions and interference, Beirut and Damascus are attempting to rebuild a healthy bilateral relationship. In this context, Salam visited Damascus last weekend at the head of a significant ministerial delegation to open a new chapter in relations between Lebanon and its neighbor, based on mutual respect for their sovereignty and borders, and on security, political, economic, and commercial cooperation.

Among the topics under discussion are the judicial agreement for the transfer of Syrian detainees in Lebanon to Syria, the return of Syrian refugees, and the fate of missing persons and victims of enforced disappearance "in both countries."

Combating smuggling is also a priority, as well as overland transport of goods and improvement of electrical networks between the two nations. A "Lebanese-Syrian Business Council" is expected to be created soon and to hold its first meeting "in the coming weeks" in Damascus, Salam said.