Syrian President Bashar al Assad ( R) and visiting Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri agreed to have stronger Lebanese-Syrian relations

Following the  meeting in Damascus on Saturday between Prime Minister Saad Hariri and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad , The Syrian Arab New Agency, SANA, distributed a joint statement in which they both said  that they agreed to strengthen cooperation between Lebanon and Syria.

Hariri said that he assured Assad that the Lebanese government is looking forward to making “real and strategic” relations with Syria that would benefit the interests of the people of both their countries.

He said that “special relations between Lebanon and Syria strengthen the countries’ positions and will  contribute to the protection of Lebanon in the face of Israeli threats.”

Assad said that Syria is keen on maintaining “the best” relations with Lebanon to guarantee the common interests of the Lebanese and Syrian people, adding that “Syria will make efforts to serve unity in Lebanon and the country’s security and stability. He added the Lebanese security is Syria’s security and visa versa  ”

The statement also said that Assad and Hariri discussed the latest regional and international developments.