Syrian foreign minister in Doha to meet senior Qatari officials

Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Hassan al-Shibani, appointed by the country's new rulers, arrived in Qatar on Sunday to meet senior Qatari officials.

The officials include Qatar's Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Mohammed Al-Khulaifi.

Syrian official news agency SANA confirmed the arrival of the Syrian delegation, which includes the country's Defence Minister Murhaf Abu Qasra and head of intelligence Anas Khattab.

The Syrian minister's visit to Qatar is his second foreign trip less than a month since former President Bashar al-Assad was ousted by rebels on December 8.

Al-Shibani is expected to also 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 his first foreign trip to Saudi Arabia on Wednesday, where Saudi officials discussed how best to support Syria's political transition.