Aoun Vows to Tackle All Pending Issues between Lebanon and Syria

 10 January 2025, Lebanon, Baabda: Lebanese President Joseph Aoun waits to receive his Cypriot counterpart Nikos Christodoulides at Baabda presidential palace. Photo: Marwan Naamani/ZUMA Press Wire/dpa
10 January 2025, Lebanon, Baabda: Lebanese President Joseph Aoun waits to receive his Cypriot counterpart Nikos Christodoulides at Baabda presidential palace. Photo: Marwan Naamani/ZUMA Press Wire/dpa
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Aoun Vows to Tackle All Pending Issues between Lebanon and Syria

 10 January 2025, Lebanon, Baabda: Lebanese President Joseph Aoun waits to receive his Cypriot counterpart Nikos Christodoulides at Baabda presidential palace. Photo: Marwan Naamani/ZUMA Press Wire/dpa
10 January 2025, Lebanon, Baabda: Lebanese President Joseph Aoun waits to receive his Cypriot counterpart Nikos Christodoulides at Baabda presidential palace. Photo: Marwan Naamani/ZUMA Press Wire/dpa

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun stressed on Sunday the importance of cooperation to address all pending issues between Lebanon and Syria.

He received a telephone call from head of Syria’s new authorities Ahmed al-Sharaa, who congratulated him on his election as president on Thursday.

Aoun underscored the “fraternal relations that bind the Syrian and Lebanese people.”

The officials also stressed the importance of building and developing positive relations between their countries.

Lebanese caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati had visited Damascus on Saturday for talks with al-Sharaa.

The leaders stressed their keenness on building long-term strategic relations based on mutual respect and national sovereignty after decades of strained ties.

The trip was the first by a head of government to Syria since Bashar al-Assad was toppled by a sweeping opposition offensive on Dec. 8, and the first visit by a Lebanese premier to neighboring Syria in 15 years. Ties between Damascus and Beirut have often been fraught since they became independent states in the 1940s.



French President Macron Will Travel to Lebanon on January 17

 French President Emmanuel Macron delivers his speech to the French Bakery and Pastry Federation members for the traditional Epiphany cake ceremony at the Elysee Palace in Paris, France, January 6, 2025. (Reuters)
French President Emmanuel Macron delivers his speech to the French Bakery and Pastry Federation members for the traditional Epiphany cake ceremony at the Elysee Palace in Paris, France, January 6, 2025. (Reuters)
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French President Macron Will Travel to Lebanon on January 17

 French President Emmanuel Macron delivers his speech to the French Bakery and Pastry Federation members for the traditional Epiphany cake ceremony at the Elysee Palace in Paris, France, January 6, 2025. (Reuters)
French President Emmanuel Macron delivers his speech to the French Bakery and Pastry Federation members for the traditional Epiphany cake ceremony at the Elysee Palace in Paris, France, January 6, 2025. (Reuters)

French President Emmanuel Macron will travel to Lebanon on January 17, Macron's office said on Tuesday, more than a week after Lebanon's parliament elected army chief Joseph Aoun as head of state.

"With this visit, the head of state wishes to underline France's unwavering commitment to supporting Lebanon, its sovereignty and its unity," said a statement from the French presidency.