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.
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.
