‘Stand by our Syrian brothers’, said Jordan FM after meeting with al-Sharaa | Syrian War News

Jordan’s foreign minister held talks with Syrian governor Ahmed al-Sharaa in Damascus as regional leaders are set to negotiate a new administration following the overthrow of President Bashar al-Assad two weeks ago.

“We stand with our Syrian brothers as they begin the reconstruction process,” Ayman Safadi told Al Jazeera on Monday.

“We want a stable, secure, safe Syria that guarantees the rights of its people through a reform process that is in line with the wishes of the Syrian people,” Safadi added.

Mohammed al-Khulaifi, the minister of state in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Qatar, also arrived in the Syrian capital, days after Doha opened an embassy in Damascus after 13 years.

The spokesman for Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Majed al-Ansari, said al-Khulaifi will hold a series of meetings with Syrian officials “to ensure Qatar’s strong role in providing all assistance to the Syrian people”.

Monday’s high-profile visit comes a day after Turkey’s foreign minister pledged help for political reform and rebuilding the war-torn country after meeting with the new administration.

Hakan Fidan and al-Sharaa on Sunday emphasized the need for unity and stability in Syria, as they want to end all international sanctions against this war-torn country.

Turkiye supports the Syrian opposition forces led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham of al-Sharaa (HTS), which led the offensive that overthrew Bashar al-Assad’s 54-year-old regime.

Safadi also pointed out that the security and stability of Syria is key to Jordan and the region.

“We are traveling 375km [230-mile] border with Syria. We want that border to be stable, free of terrorist organizations, free of drugs and arms smuggling,” he told Al Jazeera.

In recent years, Jordan has tightened border controls to combat drug and weapons smuggling along its border with Syria. One of the main smuggled drugs is the amphetamine-like stimulant Capitagon, which is in high demand in the oil-rich Gulf.

“We are addressing the challenges and discussed the security of our border with Mr. Sharaa today,” said Safadi.

Jordan’s foreign minister also condemned Israel’s attack on Syria in recent days and said, “It is the interference of the Syrian monarchy.”

“Israel must withdraw from Syrian territory respecting the 1974 agreement,” he added.

Jordan also held a summit earlier this month where top Arab diplomats, Turkey, the EU and the United States called for an inclusive and peaceful transition after more than a decade of war.

Reporting from Damascus, Al Jazeera’s Hashem Ahelbarra said the new authorities in Syria are eager for more recognition from neighboring countries.

“As far as [the meeting with] Jordan is concerned, this will be an important development for al-Sharaa. He wants to build bridges with Jordan. There is a lot of inter-tribal communication on the border between Jordan and Syria,” Ahelbarra said.

Jordan has also hosted hundreds of thousands of Syrian refugees, some of whom returned home after the fall of al-Assad. Jordan says it has about 1.3 million refugees, but the United Nations says 680,000 Syrian refugees are registered there.

Al-Sharaa has hosted Arabs, as well as Western diplomats, as it seeks official political recognition.

Al Jazeera’s Ahebarra noted that al-Sharaa met with the Turkish foreign minister yesterday and later met with a senior adviser to the king of Saudi Arabia, to discuss the future of Syria.

Saudi Arabia’s regional chief is expected to send a delegation soon, according to the Syrian embassy in Riyadh.

Apart from neighboring Arab countries, al-Sharaa has also received a number of foreign delegations since coming to power.

On Friday, the top US official in the Middle East, Barbara Leaf, had a meeting with the Syrian leader. Leaf said he expects Syria to completely eliminate any Iranian role in its affairs. A number of European delegations have also visited in recent days.

Sultan Barakat, from Hamad bin Khalifa University in Doha, told Al Jazeera: “I think the Jordanians, as well as the neighboring countries, were encouraged by the visiting Americans. [Syria] first of all… Almost all the regional forces, except Iran are very happy with the regime change that happened. “

“They understand that the people of Syria have been suffering for more than 50 years, especially in the last 13 years it has created a lot of instability in the region. So everyone welcomes stability in Syria,” he said.

Separately, on Monday, Iran reaffirmed its support for the Syrian monarchy and said the country should not become a “hotbed of terrorism” after the fall of President al-Assad, whom Tehran backed militarily.

“Our principled position on Syria is very clear: to maintain the sovereignty and integrity of Syria and for the Syrian people to decide its future without harmful interference from other countries,” said Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei at a weekly news conference.