Qatar Emir meets Syrian president in Damascus

DOHA:Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani arrived in Damascus on Thursday, marking the first visit by a head of state to the Syrian capital since the overthrow of the Assad regime.

Sheikh Tamim was welcomed on arrival at Damascus airport by Syria's interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa, a statement by Qatar’s Emiri Diwan said.

The visit is the first by the Qatari emir to Syria in more than 14 years, and also the first by an Arab leader since the December overthrow of Bashar al-Assad.

“We fully stand in solidarity with the just Syrian cause and commend the declaration marking the end of the revolution phase and the transition to state-building,” Mohammed Al-Khulaifi, Qatar’s minister of state for foreign affairs, told a joint press conference with Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Al-Shaibani.

He emphasized that the emir’s visit to Syria aligns with the strategic cooperation between the two countries.

"Qatar will continue to support its Syrian brothers in all fields,” he stressed.

According to Khulaifi, discussions between the Qatari emir and the interim Syrian president took up various issues.

Shaibani, for his part, welcomed the Qatari ruler’s visit to Syria, stressing that his country is eager to "strengthen our fraternal relations and historical ties."

Qatar “has been a steadfast ally of our people over the past 14 years,” he added. “Rebuilding Syria is about restoring hope and shaping the future."

Assad, Syria’s leader for nearly 25 years, fled to Russia after anti-regime groups took control of Damascus on Dec. 8, ending the Baath Party’s regime, which had been in power since 1963.

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