Lebanon and Syria held their first joint committee meeting in Damascus this week, opening a formal channel to address some of the most sensitive disputes between the two countries, including the fate of missing Lebanese in Syrian prisons and the status of Syrian detainees in Lebanon.

Lebanon’s Justice Ministry said Tuesday the talks, the result of Syrian officials’ visit to Beirut earlier this month, marked the start of a process aimed at resolving longstanding files such as border demarcation and smuggling. A follow-up meeting is expected in Beirut in three weeks.

Deputy Prime Minister Tarek Mitri, who hosted the Syrian delegation earlier this month, described the initial encounter as “flexible and open,” stressing that it was not about “building trust but strengthening it.” He said discussions had centered on four key issues: detainees and missing persons, the return of Syrian refugees, border control and demarcation, and a review of bilateral agreements.

Mitri added that priority was being given to border security, particularly curbing the trafficking of Captagon across the frontier. He also called for a judicial agreement that would set the terms for repatriating Syrian prisoners held in Lebanon.

A week after the Beirut talks, the Lebanese judicial-security committee met its Syrian counterpart in Damascus. Lebanese Justice Minister Adel Nassar told Asharq al-Awsat the delegation had formally requested information on Lebanese missing or forcibly disappeared in Syria “for decades.” He said the Syrian side showed “great interest” in the situation of its nationals jailed in Lebanon.

According to a Lebanese source who attended the Damascus talks, the delegation handed over a list of Lebanese missing in Syria, while Syrian officials provided names of Syrians with unresolved cases in Lebanon. The source said discussions also touched on border demarcation, noting “considerable cooperation” from Damascus.

The Lebanese team included senior judicial officials, among them Judge Claude Karam, Government Commissioner to the Military Court, Deputy Commissioner Judge Mona Hankir, and Judge Raja Abi Nader, who oversees prison affairs at the Justice Ministry.

“This was an introductory meeting, the first time we’ve sat face-to-face,” the source said. “It will be followed by further sessions, with each side clarifying its priorities.”

The talks come after Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa said in a recent speech that Damascus was looking to turn the page on the past and enter “a new phase of cooperation” with Lebanon.