Beirut, Lebanon– Syria’s transitional Minister of Social Affairs and Labor Hind Kabawat met her Lebanese counterpart Haneen Al-Sayyed on Tuesday in Beirut to discuss the future of Syrian refugees in Lebanon, as part of ongoing talks aimed at addressing one of the region’s most pressing humanitarian and political challenges.
The meeting took place on the sidelines of a conference hosted by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA), according to Syria’s state-run news agency SANA.
The two ministers discussed potential frameworks for refugee repatriation, as well as mechanisms for technical cooperation and increased coordination between Beirut and Damascus. Lebanon currently hosts an estimated 1.5 million Syrian refugees, according to the United Nations, many of whom fled the civil war that erupted in Syria in 2011.
Kabawat’s meeting follows a high-level visit to Damascus on Monday by Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, his first official trip to Syria since taking office. Salam met with Syria’s transitional president Ahmad Al-Shara’ and interim Foreign Minister Asaad Al-Shaibani, signaling a possible thaw in diplomatic relations between the two neighbours after more than a decade of strained ties.
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“The visit to Syria will open a new chapter in relations between the two countries,” Salam said in a statement posted to the Lebanese Prime Minister’s official Facebook page. He emphasized the importance of mutual respect, sovereignty, and non-interference in internal affairs.
During talks with Syrian officials, Salam discussed key bilateral issues including border security, smuggling prevention, maritime and land boundary demarcation, and refugee return.
