Qatar hosts first meeting with Syria's new government for diplomatic talks

Ministers from Syria’s transitional government arrived in Qatar on Sunday for their first visit to the Gulf state since the toppling of president Bashar al-Assad last month, officials and news agency SANA said.

The interim foreign minister, Asaad al-Shaibani, was accompanied by defence minister Morhaf Abu Kasra and the new head of intelligence, Anas Khattab, SANA reported.

It said the delegation would discuss with Qatari officials “prospects for cooperation and coordination between the two countries”.

A Syrian diplomat and a Qatari official told AFP Shaibani had arrived on Sunday morning for meetings.

Unlike other Arab countries, Qatar never restored diplomatic ties with Syria under Assad, who was toppled by an 11-day rebel advance that swept through major cities and then the capital Damascus in December.

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War in Syria erupted in 2011 after Assad cracked down on peaceful democracy protests.

The conflict morphed into a multi-pronged war, and Doha was for years a key backer of the armed rebellion.

In a statement on X, Shaibani on Friday said he would visit Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Jordan over the coming days.

“We look forward to these visits contributing to supporting stability, security, economic recovery, and building distinguished partnerships,” the foreign minister wrote.

Qatar was the second country, after Turkey, to reopen its embassy in the Syrian capital following the overthrow of the Assad clan.

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