Syria’s new Foreign Minister Assad al-Shaibani arrived in Qatar’s capital Doha on Sunday, his first visit to the Gulf state.
According to a report by Syrian state news agency SANA, Shaibani was accompanied by Defense Minister Mulhaf Abu Kasra and Intelligence Director Anas Khattab during his visit.
Sunday’s visit was the first official visit by a new Syrian government official to Qatar since the fall of President Bashar al-Assad last month, and was designed to explore opportunities for cooperation between the two countries, SANA said.
Following his first overseas trip to Saudi Arabia, Shaibani announced on Friday his intention to visit Qatar, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Jordan.
Qatar was one of the first countries to express support for Damascus after the ouster of President Assad.
On Saturday, Qatari Foreign Minister Mohammed Al Khraifi spoke by phone with Shaibani to discuss strengthening cooperation between Doha and Damascus, Qatari authorities said.
Khuraifi visited Damascus on December 23 and met with the leader of Syria’s new government, Ahmed al-Sharaa, to discuss strengthening ties and ways to support Syria in the future.
Assad, Syria’s leader for nearly 25 years, fled to Russia after rebels seized Damascus on December 8, ending decades of rule by his family.
