Syrian foreign minister meets Lebanese delegation on refugee returns
10:57, 03/11/2026, Tuesday
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Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani received Lebanese Deputy Prime Minister Tarek Mitri in Damascus on Monday for talks focused on refugee returns, as both sides seek to establish joint committees to facilitate the process and address administrative challenges.
Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani received Lebanese Deputy Prime Minister Tarek Mitri at Tishreen Palace in Damascus on Monday for high-level talks centered on the return of Syrian refugees from Lebanon and the activation of joint bilateral committees to address shared administrative challenges.
Ministerial talks in Damascus
The meeting brought together senior officials from both governments, including Syrian Higher Education Minister Marwan al-Halabi, Education Minister Mohammad Abdulrahman Turko and Social Affairs Minister Hind Kabawat, Syria's official SANA news agency reported. Bilateral ministerial sessions have commenced to discuss specific issues within each ministry's jurisdiction and to translate general agreements into concrete operational steps, the agency said.
The discussions encompass administrative, social and educational dimensions of refugee returns, addressing practical requirements for sustainable repatriation as both governments seek to move beyond diplomatic consultations toward measurable progress on the ground. Specific protocols regarding documentation, school enrollment and labor market access formed part of the agenda, according to the report.
Previous agreements and return figures
The visit builds upon earlier negotiations held in Damascus on October 19 between Lebanese Social Affairs Minister Hanin Sayed and her Syrian counterpart Kabawat, which established the framework for current institutional cooperation. Sayed noted at the time that approximately 700,000 Syrians had returned from Lebanon by September 2026, citing United Nations refugee agency statistics.
Sayed emphasized that sustainable returns require access to housing, educational facilities, basic services and employment opportunities for returnees, while Kabawat called for establishing joint committees and working groups to transform bilateral visits into permanent institutional cooperation mechanisms. The latest talks aim to implement these recommendations through structured ministerial working groups.