Qatar and Syria discuss reconstruction as Sheikh Tamim makes landmark visit

Emir’s trip is first to Syria by Arab head of state since downfall of former president Bashar Al Assad

Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim is received by Syria's President Ahmad Al Shara in Damascus on Thursday. Photo: @QNA / X

Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim visited Damascus on Thursday, with officials from both sides holding talks on reconstruction assistance in Syria after 13 years of civil war.

He is the first Arab head of state to visit Syria since the downfall of former president Bashar Al Assad last month.

The trip comes hours after Syria's de facto leader Ahmad Al Shara was declared the country's new president and was charged with forming a legislative council for a transitional phase of government. His administration is seeking to establish international ties and attract funds to rebuild after the war.

Sheikh Tamim was received at Damascus International Airport by Mr Al Shara, the Qatar News Agency reported.

At a press conference featuring Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Al Shibani and Qatari Minister of State Mohammed bin Abdulaziz Al Khulaifi, the Qatari official said the “Syrian people have given an inspiring lesson in resilience, showing what it means to never give up or surrender”.

Mr Al Shibani said the pair held talks on “establishing a comprehensive framework for bilateral co-operation in Syria’s reconstruction efforts”, including in the infrastructure, investment and banking services sectors.

Qatar was a long-time supporter of the armed protests that toppled Mr Al Assad in December. A US official said this month that Qatar planned to help finance a sharp increase in public sector wages pledged by Syria's new government. Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman, Qatar's Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, also visited Damascus earlier this month.

Doha said in December it would reopen its embassy in Syria after more than 13 years, a week after Mr Al Assad was removed from power. Qatar shut the diplomatic mission in July 2011 after withdrawing its ambassador in protest against a deadly crackdown by the Assad regime on pro-democracy demonstrators, violence that led to the civil war.

The war came to an end last month when rebels led by Mr Al Shara's Hayat Tahrir Al Sham, and supported by Turkish auxiliary forces, ousted Mr Al Assad, sweeping through the country from their bases in the north and into Damascus, forcing the former president to flee to Moscow.

However, since taking de facto power, Mr Al Shara's quest to build a new nation has been overshadowed by spillovers from the civil war.

He has sent troops to strengthen HTS's grip on coastal areas, where remnants of support for Mr Al Assad remain. In northern and eastern Syria, HTS has been negotiating the takeover of territory near the Euphrates River from Kurdish militias.