DAMASCUS/ISTANBUL

The Lebanese capital Beirut hosted a meeting Monday between officials from Lebanon and Syria to discuss joint issues between the two countries, foremost among them the issue of Syrian detainees and missing persons in Lebanon.

According to the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA), the talks involved Mohammad Yaqoub Al-Omar, director of the consular affairs department at the Syrian Foreign Ministry, who met with Lebanese Deputy Prime Minister Tarek Mitri, accompanied by a Syrian ministry delegation.

Al-Omar said the meeting discussed the issue of Syrian detainees and missing persons in Lebanon as well as a number of other bilateral issues, without providing further details.

He added that “both sides reaffirmed the importance of enhancing brotherly relations between Syria and Lebanon, based on mutual coordination and cooperation.”

In April, Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam met with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa in Damascus during the first such visit by a Lebanese official since al-Sharaa took office. Talks at the time covered several issues, including Syrian detainees in Lebanon.

The Lebanese-Syrian border has long been the subject of disputes over the smuggling of people and goods, while the issue of Syrian detainees in Lebanese prisons remains one of the most contentious issues between the two sides.

Border demarcation has also remained unresolved, with no final agreement reached despite repeated attempts.

Recently, the private Syria TV cited informed sources as saying that questions remain over the fate of more than 2,000 Syrians detained in Lebanon, most without trial since the start of the Syrian uprising in March 2011, amid the absence of an executive vision to resolve their cases. Lebanese authorities say they are held on pending charges but have not disclosed numbers or accusations.

Since the ouster of Bashar al-Assad on Dec. 8, 2024, the new Syrian administration under al-Sharaa has intensified efforts to resolve longstanding disputes, including the detainees issue.