Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani said Friday that Damascus and Beirut now have a historic opportunity to shift their relationship from one rooted in security tensions to a broader political and economic partnership, according to the SANA news agency.
Shaibani arrived in the capital, Beirut, earlier, marking the first visit to Lebanon by a Cabinet minister in Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa's government.
At a joint news conference with his Lebanese counterpart, Youssef Raji, the Syrian minister said: "There is a historic opportunity to turn the relationship between Syria and Lebanon from a tense security relationship in the past into a political and economic partnership that benefits both the Syrian and Lebanese peoples.”
He emphasized Syria's determination to overcome all obstacles of the past with Lebanon and to strengthen ties based on mutual respect and shared interests that serve both nations.
"This visit comes under the direction of President Ahmad al-Sharaa to affirm the depth of relations between the two countries and to embody the new Syria’s orientation based on mutual respect,” Shaibani added.
