Turkey and Lebanon signed agreements Monday lifting visa requirements for travel between the two countries, a change that was made during the Lebanese prime minister’s visit to Ankara.

Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri met with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and President Abdullah Gül on Monday before heading for Istanbul to attend an economic gathering.

Hariri traveled to Turkey to oversee the signing of a series of cooperation agreements. The six accords signed deal with issues of defense, health, agriculture, transportation, education and the lifting of the visa requirement.

At a joint press conference, Erdoğan said Lebanon had started to take steps toward a peaceful future following the establishment of the new government. Turkey and Lebanon scrapped their visa requirements in hopes of boosting tourism and facilitating trade.

In September, Turkey signed a series of agreements with Syria, lifting the visa requirements for travel; it did the same with Libya in November.