FILE PHOTO: Jordan's Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi meets with Syria's de facto new ruler Ahmed al-Sharaa in Damascus, Syria in this handout released December 23, 2024. Jordanian Foreign Ministry/Handout via REUTERS/File Photo
DAMASCUS (Reuters) -Jordan stands ready to help Syria rebuild, its foreign minister said after meeting Syria's new de facto ruler Ahmed al-Sharaa in Damascus on Monday, the highest-level contact by an Arab state with Syria's new Islamist-led administration.
Qatar's Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Mohammed Al-Khulaifi also arrived in Damascus on Monday for meetings aboard the first Qatar Airways flight to land in the Syrian capital since former President Bashar al-Assad was toppled, the Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesperson said on X.
The meetings further widen the diplomatic contacts of the new administration established after Sharaa's Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) group, a former Al Qaeda affiliate, led a decisive rebel offensive that overthrew Assad after more than 13 years of war.
The end of Assad's rule has upended the geopolitics of the Middle East, dealing a major blow to his ally Iran and paving the way for other states to build new ties to a country at the crossroads of the region.
Turkey, which long backed the Syrian opposition, was the first state to send its foreign minister to Damascus.
Sharaa, also known by his nom de guerre Abu Mohammed al-Golani, wore a suit and tie during the meeting with Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman al-Safadi, photos posted on social media by the Jordanian Foreign Ministry showed.
"Our talks were clear that we in the Kingdom are ready to provide support," he said after the meeting, adding that the new Syrian administration must have the opportunity to develop its plans. "I focused on reconstruction efforts and Jordan will provide aid," Safadi added.
Syria's stability is a key security concern for Jordan, a U.S. allied Arab state which borders the country to the south.
Safadi said he agreed with Sharaa on cooperating to counter the smuggling of drugs and weapons from Syria to Jordan - a problem for years under Assad.
Safadi also noted that Islamic State, with which Sharaa's group clashed earlier in the Syrian war, remained a threat.
"Our brothers in Syria also realize that this is a threat. God willing, we will all cooperate, not just Jordan and Syria, but all Arab countries and the international community, in fighting this scourge that poses a threat to everyone," he said.
There was no immediate statement from the Syrian side on the meeting.
Sharaa, who met senior U.S. diplomats last week, severed ties with Al Qaeda in 2016. He has said his primary focus is on reconstruction and achieving economic development and that he is not interested in engaging in any new conflicts.
(Reporting by Suleiman al-Khalidi in Amman and Clauda Tanios in Dubai and Tala Ramadan; Writing by Tom Perry; Editing by Sharon Singleton, William Maclean)
