Lebanon-Syria relations: A New Course and Suspension of the Joint Higher Council
Lebanese Foreign Minister Youssef Raji met with his Syrian counterpart, Assad al-Shibani, who arrived in Lebanon today on an official visit described as a sign of a new direction in Lebanon-Syria relations.
Raji affirmed that both sides are committed to mutual respect for the Lebanese state and non-interference in its internal affairs, noting that this approach reflects a positive course toward strengthening cooperation between Beirut and Damascus.
For his part, Minister al-Shibani explained that his visit to Beirut comes within the framework of a new policy adopted by Damascus toward Lebanon. He emphasized that Syria seeks to overcome past mistakes, which he said both countries were victims of, highlighting his country’s commitment to developing and strengthening Lebanon-Syria relations based on mutual respect and national sovereignty.
In a related development, the Lebanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that it had received a cable from the Syrian Embassy in Beirut stating that the work of the Lebanon-Syria Higher Council has been suspended, and that all official correspondence between the two countries will henceforth take place through diplomatic channels. The move is seen as a procedural step to redefine the framework of communication between both sides within formal diplomatic mechanisms.
The Lebanon–Syria Higher Council, established on May 22, 1991, under the Treaty of Brotherhood, Cooperation, and Coordination signed by Lebanese President Elias Hrawi and Syrian President Hafez al-Assad, served as the highest official framework for organizing Lebanon-Syria relations. The Council played a key role in coordinating joint policies during the 1990s but saw its activity decline after the withdrawal of Syrian forces from Lebanon in 2005, continuing later with limited administrative and symbolic functions without formal dissolution.
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