Asaad al-Shaibani’s visit to Qatar comes as the new administration seeks support from Arab states following the toppling of al-Assad.
Syria’s new Foreign Minister Asaad Hassan al-Shaibani has called on the United States to lift crippling sanctions on his country, as he visited Qatar as part of a regional trip to seek support after the fall of Bashar al-Assad.
Following a meeting with Qatar’s prime minister on Sunday, al-Shaibani told reporters that US sanctions on Syria were an obstacle to the war-torn country’s rapid recovery.
“These sanctions constitute a barrier and an obstacle to the rapid recovery and development of the Syrian people who await services and partnerships from other countries,” he said.
“We reiterate our calls for the United States to lift these sanctions, which have now become against the Syrian people rather than what they previously were: imposed sanctions on the al-Assad regime.”
Qatar’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement that the Gulf country’s premier also met with Syria’s Defence Minister Murhaf Abu Qasra and the new head of intelligence Anas Khattab, as well as al-Shaibani.
Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani “reiterated the State of Qatar’s position in support of Syria’s unity, sovereignty and independence”, the statement said.
Al-Shaibani presented the Qataris with a clear roadmap for the near future in Syria and steps that would be taken by the new Syrian administration, Qatar’s Minister of State Mohammed bin Abdulaziz Al-Khulaifi told reporters after the meeting.
“We are working together to prevent any foreign interference in Syrian affairs,” Al-Khulaifi added.
Al-Shaibani said the roadmap is meant to “rebuild our country, restore its Arab and foreign relations, enable the Syrian people to obtain their civil and basic rights, and present a government that the Syrian people feel represents them and all their components”.
Al-Shaibani’s visit comes nearly two weeks after his Qatari counterpart travelled to Damascus to hold talks with officials from the new administration.
Al-Khulaifi’s trip had come days after Doha opened its embassy in Damascus after it had been closed for 13 years following al-Assad’s violent repression of peaceful protests.
Qatar did not join other Arab states in recognising al-Assad, who has taken asylum in Russia since fleeing Syria on December 8. He has been accused of committing war crimes against his own citizens.
Syria’s new government is eager for investment from wealthy Gulf states to help rebuild the country’s infrastructure and boost the economy, shattered by more than a decade of war.
Al Jazeera’s Stefanie Dekker, reporting from Doha, said discussions between Qatari officials and the Syria delegation are likely to focus on “strengthening of ties, security, and rebuilding”.
“This is an interim government that faces huge challenges when it comes to getting Syria back on its feet. It needs money,” she noted.
Al-Shaibani is expected to visit the United Arab Emirates and Jordan this week to “support stability, security, economic recovery and build distinguished partnerships”, according to his account on X.
He embarked on Wednesday on his first foreign trip to Saudi Arabia, where Saudi officials discussed how to support Syria’s political transition.
Meanwhile, de facto Syria leader Ahmed al-Sharaa and Lebanese caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati agreed in a phone call on Friday to restore calm along the 375km (233-mile) border following clashes between Lebanese soldiers and Syrian gunmen.
Al-Sharaa heads the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) group, which led the capture of Damascus from al-Assad’s forces.
