Leaders of France, Lebanon, Syria, Greece, Greek Cypriot administration hold joint online meeting

French President Emmanuel Macron on Friday hosted an online summit that brought together Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, leader of the Greek Cypriot administration Nikos Christodoulides, and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis.

According to a statement from the Syrian presidency, the summit was held in Paris with Aoun in attendance, while al-Sharaa, Christodoulides, and Mitsotakis participated via video conference.

The participants agreed to support the Syrian administration's reform efforts, and condemn ongoing Israeli attacks on Syrian territory, the statement said.

They also stressed the importance of enhancing security cooperation to protect shared borders between Lebanon and Syria, as well as the need for expanded intelligence coordination to counter terrorist threats, it added.

The Syrian presidency described the summit as "an unprecedented political step," noting that it included "important discussions on regional and international issues affecting the Middle East security and stability."

The statement added that "several sensitive topics impacting relations between the five countries" were also discussed.

The participating leaders voiced their support for the political and economic reforms of the new Syrian administration, with al-Sharaa affirming the work for building a stable and strong state despite challenges, it said.

Bashar al-Assad, Syria's leader for nearly 25 years, fled to Russia after anti-regime groups took control of Damascus on Dec. 8, ending the Baath Party regime, which had been in power since 1963.

Ahmed al-Sharaa, who led anti-regime forces to oust Assad, was declared president for a transitional period in late January.