Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani in Syria, met by interim President Sharaa

Qatar's Emir visits Syria, welcomed by interim President Sharaa, signaling support for reconstruction and diplomatic ties.

Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani arrived in Damascus on Thursday (January 30, 2025) and was welcomed by interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa, the Qatari court said.

The Emir is the first head of State to visit Syria since Bashar al-Assad's ouster.

He "arrived on an official visit to Damascus" where he was "welcomed by the president of the Syrian Arab Republic, Ahmed al-Sharaa", a court statement said.

The trip, less than two months after Islamist-led rebels ousted Assad, comes a day after Sharaa was appointed interim president for an unspecified transitional period, and follows a visit by Qatar's Prime Minister earlier this month.

Unlike other Arab countries, Qatar did not restore diplomatic ties with Syria under Assad and was one of the first to back the armed rebellion that erupted after his government crushed a peaceful uprising in 2011.

The Syrian embassy in Doha had told AFP that Sheikh Tamim would meet Sharaa "in a historic visit that will address cooperation and aid in several sectors".

Qatar was the second country, after Turkey, to reopen its embassy in the Syrian capital following Assad's overthrow, and has urged the lifting of sanctions.