Lebanon and Syria: Opening a New and Brighter Chapter

Lebanese-Syrian relations have reached a new turning point following the important visit paid by Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam to Damascus, at the head of a ministerial delegation, with the aim of strengthening bilateral ties between the two countries and carrying them forward toward a new era, one capable of dissolving the sediment left by a bygone period in which mutual grievances accumulated and trust evaporated, as a result of the damaging role played by Syrian tutelage over Lebanon for more than thirty years.

The transition from the hardships of fraternity to the open spaces of cooperation appears to have genuinely begun, though it demands perseverance, resolve, and steadiness from both leaderships. The journey toward rebuilding Lebanese-Syrian relations is long, but far from impossible, it remains achievable, provided it rests on the constants of both countries, steering clear of the two extremes of total rupture (the 1950 experience) and total tutelage (1976–2005). One thing is certain: both parties have a genuine stake in following this inevitable path.

These relations cannot thrive if they drift toward complete severance, as occurred in 1950. While one of the causes of that rupture lay in the fundamental divergence between the two countries' strategic and economic choices, the closure of the borders inflicted considerable damage on the Lebanese economy, given that the Syrian land corridor is an obligatory transit point for Lebanese goods bound for the Arab hinterland, and it inevitably weighed on the Syrian economy as well.

Today, as Syria enters a new political phase following the fall of the Assad regime in December 2024, and as it begins to attract significant capital and investment in the wake of the lifting of American sanctions and the suspension of the Caesar Act, Lebanon is well positioned to be a beneficiary of this economic momentum, not on the basis of dependence, but of complementarity. The electricity interconnection projects, pursued also with Jordan, are among the most vivid illustrations of this.

Beyond the economic dimension, however significant, there are files that must be addressed, all the more so given the sweeping changes that have occurred in the region, in Syria as in Lebanon, which at last allow for a serious and in-depth discussion — arguably the first of its kind — between the two countries, freed from the climate of dependency and tutelage that shaped their mutual relations for more than three decades. The following emerge as the priorities that must be examined with a cool head and complete calm, away from the political noise and media interference that seek, here and there, to turn back the clock.

— Border control and demarcation: Territorial disputes between states are a common feature of international relations, and the files connected to borders tend to become more entangled whenever political relations deteriorate. There is an urgent need, serving the interests of both countries, to secure the border, combat smuggling on both sides, and take the necessary security and military measures to achieve this. More importantly, however, the terrestrial and maritime borders between the two countries must be delimited once and for all — a process that would include settling the debate over the identity of the Shebaa Farms, long used as a pretext to maintain Hezbollah's arsenal on the grounds that they are occupied by Israel, particularly given the persistent refusal of the deposed Bashar al-Assad regime to furnish the United Nations or the Lebanese government with documentation establishing their Lebanese character.

— The displaced persons file: While a significant number of Syrian displaced persons returned to their country during the Israeli war on Lebanon, there is no escaping the need to continue addressing this important file in a way that ensures a dignified and decent return for these people to their homes. The question of Syrian labor in Lebanon also requires proper regulation — it remains a necessary component of Lebanese economic activity, but must always operate within the applicable legal rules and established procedures.

— The detainees and prisoners file: While parliament examines the general amnesty law, which could lift the injustice weighing on hundreds of unconvicted prisoners and ease the overcrowding in already overburdened detention facilities, the file of Syrian detainees held in Lebanese prisons has recorded notable progress — a file with the potential to significantly thaw the atmosphere between the two countries, given the importance Syrian authorities attach to this matter.

— Syrian deposits in Lebanese banks: Precise figures on the volume of Syrian deposits in Lebanese banks are unavailable; those deposits have met the same fate as the deposits of Lebanese nationals in commercial banks, a matter that has remained without any serious resolution for nearly six years, and which should be reactivated on the basis of protecting depositors' rights, regardless of their identity or nationality, as this is an acquired right belonging to any depositor, without exception.

— The Lebanese missing persons in Syria: It is unacceptable that this file should continue to be shrouded in such obscurity. To ignore it would be a grave moral failure, since the families of these individuals have every right to know the fate of their loved ones after so many years of absence. If the former regime made a practice of concealing that fate, the new era in relations between the two countries must bring full clarity to all the circumstances of this file.

— The economic file: This is perhaps the most important of all, deserving sustained attention from both countries given the mutual benefits that could be achieved, spanning agriculture, industry, and trade through to energy, electricity, and other significant areas.

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On the political front, while abolishing the Lebanese-Syrian Higher Council — a relic of the tutelage era — and replacing it with normal diplomatic relations between states is a welcome step, it is nonetheless essential to build on the review of bilateral agreements conducted in 2010 and to update them in line with the new political circumstances and the emerging dynamic of relations between the two countries, grounded in mutual respect and non-interference in internal affairs.

There is an enormous amount of work to be done between Lebanon and Syria at the political, economic, and security levels, particularly as Israel continues to encroach on additional Syrian territory since the fall of the Assad regime while occupying Lebanese land it has classified as lying within what it calls the "yellow line" in the current war. While there is no call to relink the two tracks as was done under the tutelage era, consultation and coordination can only benefit both countries; it prepares them to face the coming phase with all its difficulties and complexities, which is infinitely preferable to persisting in a state of silent estrangement.