A Lebanese ministerial delegation will visit Damascus on Saturday, according to the Syrian Ministry of Information, in the first high-level government official visit to Syria since the outbreak of the conflict ten years ago, with the aim of discussing the import of energy and gas from Egypt and Jordan through Syria.

The Syrian Ministry of Information stated in an invitation to journalists in Damascus that Foreign Minister Faisal Miqdad will receive on Saturday at 10:30 am (07:30 GMT) at the Masnaa - Jdeidet Yabous border crossing, the Lebanese delegation consisting of the Deputy Prime Minister of the Caretaker Government, the Minister of Defense and Foreign Affairs Zina Aker Finance Minister Ghazi Wazni, Energy Minister Raymond Ghajar and Director General of Public Security Major General Abbas Ibrahim.

The two sides will hold a meeting at the Syrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Since the outbreak of the conflict in Syria in 2011, major divisions have been overshadowed by major divisions among the political forces in Lebanon over the relationship with Damascus and thus Hezbollah's participation in the fighting alongside government forces.

Lebanon officially followed the principle of "disassociation" from the Syrian war.

The two countries maintained diplomatic relations, but official visits declined to a large extent, and were limited to individual initiatives by ministers and personalities representing parties allied to Damascus, led by Hezbollah, which calls for official openness to Syria, which other political forces reject.

Last November, Lebanon participated, through a small delegation, in a conference called by Russia in Damascus to discuss the refugee issue.

A source in the Lebanese Ministry of Energy told AFP that Saturday's visit "falls within the framework of ensuring the ability of the Syrian state to proceed with the project" of drawing Egyptian gas through Jordan, then Syria, to northern Lebanon.

He pointed out that it is expected to "revive" an agreement signed in 2009 that includes the transfer of Egyptian gas to Lebanon via Syria.

The Lebanese presidency announced last month that Washington will help Lebanon import electric energy and gas from Egypt and Jordan, through Syria and Lebanon, a country that has been mired for nearly two years in an unprecedented economic collapse that paralyzed its ability to import vital commodities, primarily fuel.

In practice, the US pledge means Washington's agreement to exempt Lebanon from the international sanctions imposed on Syria due to the conflict, which prohibit any financial or commercial dealings with it.

Lebanon has been negotiating with Cairo for more than a year to import energy and gas through Jordan and Syria, according to what a source familiar with the file told AFP, but US sanctions on Syria have always constituted an obstacle to the agreement.

In the wake of an economic collapse that the World Bank has ranked among the worst in the world since 1850, Lebanon has been witnessing for months an aggravating fuel crisis that is largely reflected in various sectors, including hospitals, bakeries, communications and foodstuffs.

As a result, the ability of the Electricité du Liban to provide reasonable service to all regions declined, which led to an increase in rationing hours to exceed 22 hours per day. Private generators are no longer able to provide the diesel needed to cover the hours of power outages.