Top Arab diplomats visited the Syrian capital on Monday, the latest in a string of diplomatic overtures by the international community as Syria emerges from years of isolation under President Bashar al-Assad.
Syria’s new leader, Ahmed al-Shara, held “extensive talks” with Jordan’s foreign minister, Ayman Safadi, in Damascus on Monday, according to a statement from the Jordanian foreign ministry. Hours later, Qatar’s minister of state for foreign affairs, Mohammed Al-Khulaifi, also arrived in Syria for talks with its new leadership, according to the Qatari foreign ministry.
They are among the first high-ranking Arab diplomats to visit Syria since Mr. al-Assad was toppled two weeks ago by the rebel coalition led by Mr. al-Shara. Top Arab diplomats had vowed at a meeting in Jordan this month to “support a peaceful transition process” in Syria.
In recent years, a number of Arab nations had begun to pursue better relations with the Assad regime. Last year, Mr. al-Assad made his first visit to the Arab League summit, more than a decade after Syria’s membership was suspended amid its civil war. These efforts, however, largely failed to ensure the regional stability that Arab nations had hoped for.
Pictured walking alongside the Jordanian foreign minister on Monday, Mr. Al-Shara donned a suit and tie rather than his typical military fatigues, part of the new leader’s effort to polish his image and mend ties between Syria and the international community.
The visits by the Qatari and Jordanian delegations came a day after Mr. Al-Shara met with the Turkish foreign minister, Hakan Fidan, along with a prominent Lebanese Druze leader, Walid Jumblatt.
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