Syrian-Lebanese Relations

Lebanon–Syria relations are the bilateral relations between Lebanon and Syria. The relationship between these two neighbouring countries in Western Asia is complex: Syria has had troops stationed in Lebanon and has exerted political influence in the nation for many years, however Syria has only officially recognised Lebanon's sovereignty recently

History

Both states were created by France from land under control of the Ottoman Empire after World War I. Syria has refused to accept the separation since they became independent of each other in 1942.

At the request of the then-President of Lebanon, Suleiman Frangieh, Syria sent troops to Lebanon in order to prevent greater bloodshed during the Civil War. In 1982, Syria fought Israeli troops after the latter's invasion of Lebanon.

The assassination of Prime Minister of Lebanon Rafik Hariri on February 14, 2005, was blamed on Syria by the March 14 Alliance, while Syria denied involvement. A UN commission set up to investigate the killing has not yet assigned responsibility for the assassination. However, Syrian troops withdrew from Lebanon following the assassination and subsequent mass protests.

At a meeting in Paris during the first Summit of the Union for the Mediterranean, the new President of Lebanon, Michel Sleiman, and Syria's President,Bashar al-Assad, agreed to establish diplomatic relations and to open a new page in the relations between the two countries. On August 13, 2008, the diplomatic relations were established between the two countries.

In December 2008, the Syrian Embassy was opened in Beirut for the first time since both countries gained their independence during the 1940s. In March 2009, Lebanon opened its embassy in Damascus.

On 19 December 2009, Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Al-Hariri visited Syria, and stayed in Damascus for 3 days of meetings with President Bashar Al-Assad.