Lebanon and Syria have agreed to set up new mechanisms to strengthen coordination, including the creation of two committees tasked with following up on sensitive judicial and security issues, the Lebanese Justice Ministry said on Tuesday.

The announcement followed a visit by a Syrian government delegation to Beirut, where it met Deputy Prime Minister Tarek Mitri. According to a statement from Justice Minister Adel Nassar’s office, one committee will operate in Lebanon and the other in Syria.

The two committees convened their first meeting in Damascus, focusing on two of the most contentious files between the countries: the fate of Lebanese missing in Syrian prisons and the status of Syrian detainees in Lebanon.

The ministry said both sides agreed to hold a second round of talks in Beirut in the near future to continue discussions and build on initial progress.

Relations between Beirut and Damascus have long been strained, particularly over the issue of Lebanese nationals who disappeared during Syria’s decades-long military presence in Lebanon and the detention of Syrians in Lebanese jails.