Prime Minister Nawaf Salam visited Syrian President Ahmed Al-Sharaa today at the People's Palace in Damascus, in the presence of two ministerial delegations from the two countries. The two sides discussed ways to strengthen bilateral relations and develop economic and trade cooperation to serve common interests, in addition to enhancing security coordination to support stability and confront challenges. The meeting also discussed regional and international developments, in addition to a number of issues of common interest between the two countries. Salam pointed out in a statement from Damascus airport after his meeting with Syrian President Ahmed Al-Sharaa, “We visited Damascus to continue consultations and work to strengthen Lebanese-Syrian relations at all levels, which are relations built on trust and mutual respect for the sovereignty of the two countries and on common interests.” He stressed that "today we have made great progress in addressing our common issues, especially the outstanding ones, in a good spirit and keenness to cooperate without reservation or hesitation, and I am confident that its tangible results will appear soon." He said: "We stressed the need to be strict in controlling borders and preventing smuggling in all its forms, and we agreed on the necessity of continuing dialogue and cooperation in facilitating the dignified return of the displaced." He added: “Our visit today came not only to follow up on what we started a year ago and more, but also to launch new initiatives in joint work, and to emphasize the importance of the relationship between the two countries in all fields and at the level of all relevant official institutions,” pointing out that, “The Lebanese-Syrian Business Council will meet soon.”