Lebanese Minister of Foreign Affairs and Emigrants Abdullah Bou Habib visited Damascus today, leading a delegation that met with Syrian Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad. Bou Habib was accompanied by General Director of General Security, Major General Elias Baissari, Secretary General of the Supreme Defense Council, Major General Mohammad Mustafa, Chargé d'Affaires of the Lebanese Embassy in Damascus Talal Daher, Minister's Office Director Walid Haidar, Judge Ghassan Khoury from the Ministry of Justice, and Brigadier General Mershad Suleiman from General Security.
Both parties, according to a joint statement, condemned the systematic Israeli aggression against the Palestinian people and emphasized the urgent need to stop it and put an end to the war crimes and crimes against humanity committed by the Israeli entity. They stressed the necessity for the immediate and unconditional delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza, firmly rejecting any attempts to displace the Palestinian people or eliminate their just cause. They reaffirmed the need to implement relevant international legitimacy resolutions and end the Israeli occupation of Arab territories in Palestine, Lebanon, and the Syrian Golan, advocating for the establishment of a Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital.
The two sides discussed the objective of the visit, which is to address the challenges related to the Syrian refugee crisis in Lebanon. They emphasized the importance of joint cooperation to ensure the dignified return of Syrian displaced persons to their homeland and the necessity for the international community, the United Nations, and its specialized agencies to bear their responsibilities in helping achieve this goal. Minister Mekdad explained the measures taken by the Syrian government over the past years and recently to restore security and stability and facilitate the return of Syrians to their country, affirming that Syria welcomes all its citizens and looks forward to their return, making every effort in cooperation with friendly countries and humanitarian partners to achieve this.
For his part, Minister Bou Habib expressed his gratitude and appreciation for the efforts and measures taken by the Syrian government. They agreed to hold subsequent coordination meetings at the level of officials and specialized experts to follow up on issues related to the return of displaced persons, border control, the exchange of convicted individuals, and other matters of common concern.
