Lebanon on Monday opened an embassy in neighbouring Syria for the first time ever in a step toward normalising relations. The move comes after the two countries agreed earlier this year to establish diplomatic ties for the first time since both gained independence from France in 1943.
Lebanese Charge dAffaires Rami Murtada raised the flag over the embassy headquarters in Abu Rummaneh neighbourhood in Damascus. Lebanese ambassador to Syria, Michelle Khoury, is to arrive in Damascus at a later date, according to a Lebanese Foreign Ministry source. Khoury is currently Lebanons ambassador to Cyprus.
Syria used to dominate Lebanese politics for 30 years until the assassination of former prime minister Rafik Hariri in 2005, the uproar over which led to the withdrawal of Syrian forces.
Hariris assassination was widely blamed by his allies on Damascus, a charge Syria continues to deny. Syria has in the past resisted establishing diplomatic ties with Lebanon, saying the two countries had a special relationship. For much of Lebanons history, Syria has pulled the strings in Lebanons political and economic arenas.
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