Qatar’s Emir heads to Damascus as Syria’s transition gains momentum - report

Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani is scheduled to visit Damascus on Thursday, marking a significant step in the ongoing political transition underway in Syria.

The visit, first reported by Al Jazeera, comes after Islamist rebels ousted Bashar Assad’s regime last year, and follows the appointment of Ahmed al-Sharaa as Syria’s interim president on Wednesday. Al-Sharaa, who also received the mandate to form a temporary legislative council, is tasked with guiding the country through a delicate transitional phase.

According to a US official and a senior diplomat, Qatar has been actively seeking a sanctions exemption from Washington that would allow Doha to provide financial support through official channels. In January, these sources revealed that Qatar intends to help fund a sharp increase in public sector wages pledged by Syria’s new government.

Syria’s de facto leader Ahmed al-Sharaa, also known as Abu Mohammed al-Julani, in Damascus on December 23, 2024. (credit: AMMAR AWAD/REUTERS)

Doha has long supported the uprising against Assad, who was forced out of power after more than a decade of conflict that began in 2011.

Warming ties

Emir Al-Thani’s visit follows an earlier trip by Qatar’s Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, who announced plans to supply Syria with 200 megawatts of electricity, with a gradual scale-up over time.

Additionally, Qatar reopened its embassy in Damascus last December, ending a closure that began in July 2011. The closure was a response to Assad’s crackdown on protesters, which sparked a devastating civil war that lasted 13 years. Observers see these developments as signs of warming ties between Doha and Syria’s new interim administration.