Lebanon and Syria signed an agreement on Thursday establishing a joint higher committee aimed at institutionalizing bilateral cooperation, as officials from both countries said the new mechanism would deepen coordination across economic, security and infrastructure sectors and help reset relations on a state-to-state basis.

The agreement was signed at the Grand Serail in Beirut following talks between Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam and Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani.

The meeting was attended by Deputy Prime Minister Tarek Mitri, Foreign Minister Youssef Rajji, Secretary-General of the Council of Ministers Mahmoud Makiyeh, Lebanon's ambassador to Syria Henry Caston, and Syria's chargé d'affaires in Beirut, Iyad al-Hazzah.

Speaking at a joint press conference after the signing ceremony, Salam said the agreement marked another step in efforts to rebuild ties following his visit to Damascus about six weeks ago.

“This visit follows the one I made to Damascus with several fellow ministers about a month and a half ago. It reflects the rapid progress we have made in rebuilding Lebanese-Syrian relations on a sound footing, based on state-to-state relations and guided by our shared interests in a way that serves both countries.”

Salam said the two sides were working to expand cooperation in several sectors that had already been discussed during his visit to Syria.

“Our meeting today aims to strengthen cooperation in a number of areas, foremost among them electricity interconnection between Lebanon and Syria, and through Syria, as well as transport, trade, facilitating the movement of people between the two countries, and expanding economic relations,” he said.

He noted that Lebanon and Syria had also agreed during the Damascus visit to establish a Lebanese-Syrian Business Council, which has now been formed and was scheduled to hold its inaugural meeting later Wednesday.

Salam described the creation of the Lebanese-Syrian Joint Higher Committee as the main achievement of the day's talks.

“The key achievement of today's meeting is the signing of an agreement establishing a Lebanese-Syrian Joint Higher Committee, similar to the joint higher committees that Lebanon has with a number of sister Arab countries,” he said.

According to Salam, the committee will bring together ministers from both governments and hold regular meetings to coordinate bilateral cooperation.

“This committee will include the relevant ministers and meet periodically to strengthen cooperation between the two countries,” he said. “We hope to meet soon with the concerned ministers to sign the memorandums of understanding and agreements that are currently being prepared, particularly in areas where discussions have already made progress.”

He said the two governments hoped the committee would quickly move beyond its formal establishment and begin producing concrete results.

“We hope today's signing will not simply establish the committee, but that we will soon see the tangible results of its work,” Salam said.

For his part, al-Shaibani said the agreement reflected Syria's commitment to strengthening relations with Lebanon.

“I thank my friend, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, for the warm welcome and the frank discussions,” he said, referring also to his meetings earlier in the day with President Joseph Aoun and Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri.

“This second visit by the Syrian Arab Republic to Lebanon reflects Syria's supportive stance toward Lebanon, its government and its people, and will help establish a lasting and healthy relationship between our two countries,” he added.

Al-Shaibani said the newly established committee would serve as the central institutional framework for future cooperation.

“Today, with great determination, we signed the agreement establishing the Joint Higher Committee for cooperation and partnership with our sister state, Lebanon,” he said. “This framework will serve as a platform for all the relevant ministries to develop economic, investment and trade partnerships, as well as security understandings and broader cooperation between our two countries.”

He said Syria hoped to turn the page on decades of strained relations and build a partnership that benefits both peoples.

“We come to Lebanon with affection, respect and a sincere desire to cooperate,” al-Shaibani said. “We are determined to move beyond the painful legacy that both our peoples have endured and to open a new and prosperous chapter in our relationship—one that benefits future generations, contributes to prosperity in both countries, and helps end instability and the conflicts affecting our region.”