(Xinhua) -- Lebanese President Michel Suleiman arrived in Damascus on Wednesday for a groundbreaking visit to Syria. Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and his wife received their Lebanese counterparts at the Damascus International Airport, according to the official SANA news agency.
This is Suleiman's first visit to Syria after he took the presidency and also the first by a Lebanese president to Damascus since March 2005 when then Lebanese President Emile Lahoud came here.
Suleiman told the Lebanese newspaper As-Safir on Wednesday that his visit to Syria, in response to an invitation of Assad, is a "turning point" to restore the situations to the normal position between the two sisterly countries, according to SANA.
Suleiman also described his relations with Assad as "fraternal and distinguished", saying preparations for the visit from both sides are "positive and good".
During his two-day stay here, Suleiman will discuss with the Syrian senior officials "issues of common interest and the latest developments on the regional and international levels," said SANA.
The establishment of diplomatic ties and the opening of embassies were expected to top the agenda of the meeting between Suleiman and Assad, analysts said.
Last month, Assad and Suleiman announced in Paris after a meeting with French President Nicolas Sarkozy that they agreed to establish diplomatic ties and open embassies in each other's territory.