Syria's foreign minister receives calls from several regional counterparts

Syria's newly appointed foreign minister said Wednesday that he received calls from several of his regional counterparts, hinting at strong future cooperation between Syria and its neighbors across various sectors.

"I was pleased today to receive calls from the foreign ministers of Kuwait, Bahrain, Lebanon and Türkiye as well as from Qatar's Minister of State for Foreign Affairs and Libya's Minister of State and Communications," Asaad al-Shaibani wrote on X.

"These conversations underscore Syria's regional influence and its deep ties with Arab nations. In the coming days, we anticipate significant collaboration with our Arab neighbors on all fronts to realize the aspirations of our great Syrian people in the new Syria," he added.

In a separate statement, Kuwait's Foreign Ministry said its foreign minister, Abdullah Ali Al-Yahya, received a call from Al-Shaibani.

The two discussed developments in Syria and ways to strengthen the longstanding fraternal relations between their countries and peoples, though no further details were provided.

It marked the first official interaction between the two nations since the formation of Syria's new government following the ouster earlier this month of Bashar Assad's regime.

The developments are part of a broader trend of diplomatic engagement between the new Syrian administration led by Ahmed al Sharaa and high-ranking officials from Western, regional and Arab states after Assad's removal.

As part of this international opening, Türkiye and Qatar recently reopened their diplomatic missions in Damascus.

Other nations have also resumed operations at their embassies, signaling significant shifts in Syria's foreign relations following its recent political changes.

Bashar Assad, Syria's leader for nearly 25 years, fled to Russia after anti-regime groups took control of the capital Damascus on Dec. 8, ending the Baath Party's regime, which had been in power since 1963.

The takeover came after Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) fighters captured key cities in a lightning offensive that lasted less than two weeks. Anti-regime fighters claimed control of Deir ez-Zor's city center on Dec. 11.