The new head of Syrian diplomacy, Assaad al-Chibani, announced on Friday that he would make an official visit this week to Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Jordan, after his first official trip to Saudi Arabia.
Since the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad, who had been in power for twenty years, an armed coalition dominated by Islamists took power in Syria on December 8, and is seeking help from Gulf countries to rebuild the country devastated by more than ten years of war.
«This week I will represent my country, Syria, on an official visit to our brothers in Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan“, Assaad al-Chibani said in a statement on X. «We look forward to these visits contributing to supporting stability, security, economic recovery and building good partnerships“, he added.
Assaad al-Chibani and Defense Minister Mourhaf Abou Qasra, accompanied by intelligence chief Anas Khattab, visited Riyadh on Wednesday and Thursday at the head of a large delegation to discuss ways to support the transition in Syria, marking the first official visit of the new authorities abroad since the fall of Bashar al-Assad.
In December, a source close to the government said that a Saudi delegation met in Damascus with the new Syrian leader Ahmad al-Charaa, leader of the radical Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS).
In an interview last week with Saudi television Al ArabiyaAhmad al-Charaa declared that Saudi Arabia “would certainly play a very important role» in Syria, where it could take advantage of “great investment opportunities».
Par Le360 (with AFP)
01/04/2025 at 7:03 a.m.
