Handshake in New York, on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, between Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam and Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa, on Sept. 23, 2026. (Credit: Photo published on X by the Lebanese Prime Minister’s Office)
BEIRUT — Cooperation between Lebanon and Syria, which has been at the center of discussions in recent days — particularly following the first Lebanese-Syrian investment forum held in Beirut on Wednesday — was also raised during a meeting between Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa and Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly.
During the meeting in New York, Salam stressed the importance of “revising” agreements between the two countries in order to move forward with the first meeting of the Lebanese-Syrian Higher Commission, which was established in July.
“For some time, we have been working to open a new page with our Syrian brothers and to build relations between our two countries based on trust, non-interference in internal affairs and shared interests,” Salam told reporters, according to a statement published on the Prime Minister’s Office’s X account.
The issue of non-interference has been central to exchanges between Beirut and Damascus since the fall of the Assad regime, which had placed Lebanon under Syrian tutelage from 1976 to 2005, and Hezbollah’s involvement alongside the former regime in the Syrian civil war from 2013.
“We discussed the need to finalize the revision of the agreements between the two countries so that they serve as the basis for the first joint meeting of the Lebanese-Syrian Higher Commission that we established in Beirut. This step must not remain a dead letter. If the meeting does not take place at the beginning of next month, it will happen the following month,” Salam added.
The creation of the commission was approved by the Lebanese Cabinet last July. It serves as the highest institutional framework for consultation, coordination and cooperation between the two countries. The two sides also discussed “the importance of developing regional links, especially in the fields of electricity, railways and energy, given the shared interests they represent for both countries.”
'Identical' concerns in Beirut and Damascus
Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa acknowledged that “the legacy is difficult” between Syria and Lebanon, saying that “Syria is trying to establish new relations based on the economy and good political relations, which will in the future have an influence on the security situation.”
In a statement to MTV, Sharaa stressed that concerns are the same in Lebanon and Syria and that “they should always bring [the two sides] closer together and encourage better relations.”
Despite the desire of authorities in both countries to “turn the page” on decades of tense bilateral relations, several disputes and issues remain, notably the question of Syrian detainees in Lebanon, the demarcation of the land border and the fate of refugees.
On Lebanese-Israeli negotiations and the advice he gives Lebanon, the Syrian president called for “total transparency,” warning against “exaggerated promises.”
The eighth round of negotiations between Lebanon and Israel was postponed until October, with no precise date set yet. In southern Lebanon, the Israeli army continues to occupy more than 600 square kilometers of territory and to destroy villages there through explosives or bombardment.
Sharaa also stated Tuesday evening that, while Damascus is still negotiating a security agreement with Israel, which also occupies an area in southern Syria, it is impossible for him to consider a peace agreement with Israel as long as Syrians’ rights are being violated.
In addition to his meeting with Sharaa, Salam met with several political figures in New York, including Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, Yemeni Presidential Leadership Council Vice President Abdallah Al-Alimi, European Commissioner for Mediterranean Affairs Dubravka Šuica, Kuwait’s Crown Prince Sheikh Sabah Khaled al-Hamad al-Sabah, Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly, UAE Minister of State for International Cooperation Reem al-Hashemy and Romanian President Klaus Iohannis.
The meetings focused on attacks in the South and the need to “reduce tensions” in Lebanon and the region, regional cooperation and the expiration of the mandate of the U.N. Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL). On the latter issue, Salam called for “a formula guaranteeing the continued presence of an international mission charged with observation, reporting and liaison, under the aegis of a U.N. Security Council resolution.”