The latest series of meetings come as Qatar and Syria increase their engagement following the fall of the Bashar Al-Assad regime.
Qatar’s Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, met Syria’s Foreign Minister, Asaad Al-Shaibani, in Doha on Tuesday.
The Syrian official is in Doha with several Syrian ministers to explore joint investments and cooperation in “all fields”, Al-Shaibani said on X on Monday.
“We arrive in Qatar, our ‘worthy ally’, accompanied by a distinguished group of ministers, to build on 14 years of brotherhood and support, and to open new horizons for cooperation and investment in all fields,” Al-Shaibani said.
Some of the meetings that took place in Doha on Tuesday included one between the Syrian Minister of Tourism, Mazen Al-Salhani, and Qatar Tourism’s Chairman, Saad Al-Kharji, according to Syria’s state news agency (SANA).
The meeting focused on “prospects for joint cooperation and investment in tourism projects”, SANA reported.
Syria’s Finance Minister, Mohammed Barnieh, separately met his Qatari counterpart, Ali Al-Kuwari, where they discussed “ways to develop cooperation between the two countries”.
Another meeting took place between Syria’s Minister of Economy and Industry, Mohammad Al-Shaar, Syria’s Minister of Communications and Information Technology, Abdul Salam Haykal, and Qatar’s Minister of Commerce and Industry, Sheikh Faisal bin Thani Al Thani.
The same day also saw a meeting between Qatar’s Minister of State for Energy Affairs, Saad Al-Kaabi, and Syria’s Energy Minister, Mohammed Al-Bashir.
“Discussions during the meeting dealt with energy relations and cooperation between Qatar and Syria and means to enhance them,” QatarEnergy said in a statement.
The latest series of meetings come as Qatar and Syria increase their engagement following the fall of the Bashar Al-Assad regime last December in a surprise offensive led by Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham.
Qatar had maintained its unwavering stance against the Assad regime for its brutality against Syrians following the 2011 revolution. The Gulf state has also been at the forefront of countries supporting Syria’s economic recovery over the past months.
On Saturday, Qatar and Saudi Arabia agreed to jointly fund salaries for public sector employees in Syria for three months, a month after they announced their commitment to settle Syria’s outstanding arrears of $15m (around QAR 55m) to the World Bank.
The lifting of U.S. sanctions last month by President Donald Trump further encouraged global engagements with Syria.
Meanwhile, sources told Syria TV on Tuesday that President Ahmed Al-Sharaa will visit the U.S. in September where he will speak at the United Nations.
