In a statement, Qatar's foreign ministry said the Gulf country's premier met with Syria's interim foreign minister, Asaad al-Shaibani, defence minister Murhaf Abu Qasra and the new head of intelligence, Anas Khattab.
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.
Earlier, a Syrian diplomat and a Qatari official confirmed to AFP that Shaibani had arrived on Sunday morning for meetings in Qatar, the host of the US's largest military base in the region.
Unlike other Arab countries, Qatar never restored diplomatic ties with Syria under Assad, who was toppled by an 11-day rebel advance that swept through major cities and then the capital Damascus in December.
Following discussions with Qatar's Minister of State, Mohammed bin Abdulaziz Al-Khulaifi, Shaibani reiterated calls for the lifting of US sanctions on Syria.
The interim foreign minister called the measures a "barrier and an obstacle to the rapid recovery" telling local media that his government "renewed our demand for the United States of America to lift these sanctions".
At the end of December, Qatar also called for the quick removal of sanctions on Syria.
The international community has not rushed to lift economic restrictions on Syria and is instead waiting to see how the new authorities exercise their power.
Shaibani added that Syria would "enjoy very good relations with the region" in contrast to those with the Assad government.
Khulaifi said the new government had presented "a clear roadmap for Syria in the near future and the steps that will be taken by the leadership and political administration in Syria".
The conflict in Syria erupted in 2011 after Assad brutally cracked down on peaceful democracy protests.
It morphed into a multi-pronged war in which Doha was for years a key backer of the armed rebellion.
In a statement on X, Shaibani on Friday said he would visit Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Jordan over the coming days.
"We look forward to these visits contributing to supporting stability, security, economic recovery and building distinguished partnerships," the foreign minister wrote.
Qatar was the second country, after Turkey, to reopen its embassy in the Syrian capital following the overthrow of Assad.
Syria monitor reports blasts at arms depots near Damascus
Syria (AFP) Jan 5, 2025 -
A Syria war monitor said explosions on Sunday rocked an area near Damascus housing weapons depots used by the toppled government of Bashar al-Assad.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor said the blasts in the Kisweh area, south of the Syrian capital, may be the result of an Israeli air strike.
The Israeli military, which has struck many military sites in Syria since Assad's fall, told AFP in Jerusalem it did not attack the site.
The Britain-based Observatory, which has a network of sources in Syria, said that "loud blasts resonated in the wider capital area".
The explosions occurred "at ammunition depots of the former regime forces... near the town of Kisweh", sending a thick cloud of smoke billowing over the site, the Observatory said.
An AFP video journalist saw small fires burning in the blackened rubble of a flattened building on the outskirts of the town of Kisweh. Several other one-storey buildings stood undamaged nearby.
The explosions continued into Sunday evening, ringing out across surrounding areas, the journalist said.
Israel, which rarely comments on its actions in neighbouring Syria, has carried out hundreds of air strikes on military sites since Islamist-led forces ousted Assad and seized Damascus last month.
Israel has said it was seeking to prevent weapons from falling into hostile hands.
Most recently, the Observatory said Israeli war planes hit sites of the now defunct Syrian army in the Aleppo area on Friday.
In late December, the Observatory said 11 people died in an explosion at an arms storage facility in the Adra area northeast of Damascus, adding that it was possibly the result of an Israeli strike. Israel denied any involvement.
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