Syria’s foreign minister arrives in Jordan to discuss bilateral cooperation

Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani arrived in Amman on Tuesday for his first visit to Jordan since last month's downfall of the Bashar al-Assad regime.

Shaibani is accompanied by Defense Minister Murhaf Abu Qasra and intelligence chief Anas Khattab during the trip to discuss horizons of cooperation between the two countries, the Syrian state news agency SANA reported.

On Dec. 23, Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi traveled to Damascus and met with Ahmed al-Sharaa, the leader of the new Syrian administration.

A statement by the Jordanian Foreign Ministry following Safadi's visit said that Syria's reconstruction is of strategic importance to both Jordan and the broader region.

Shaibani has so far visited Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates since Assad's fall.

Assad, Syria's leader for nearly 25 years, fled to Russia after anti-regime groups took control of Damascus on Dec. 8, ending the Baath Party's decades-long regime.

The takeover came after Hayat Tahrir al-Sham fighters captured key cities in a lightning offensive that lasted less than two weeks.

A new administration led by al-Sharaa has now taken charge.