The President received a congratulatory message from Saad Hariri on the occasion of assuming the presidency.

The President of the Syrian Arab Republic for the Transitional Phase, Ahmed Al-Shar'a, received a congratulatory message from the former Prime Minister of Lebanon, Saad Hariri, expressing Lebanon's positive response following Mr. Shar'a assuming the presidency.

Hariri also expressed optimism "in achieving the goals of the Syrian people that they have fought for for years," considering Shar'a's presidency as "a clear evidence of Syria's liberation from oppressive tyranny that caused corruption and crime in Syria," according to the Syrian Presidency statement.

Hariri expressed his aspiration for establishing friendly relations between Lebanon and Syria that serve the interests of both peoples and erase the effects of a sinful era that has disappeared beyond return.