Visiting Qatar PM vows to help Syria rehabilitate infrastructure

Qatar's Prime Minister has vowed to support the rehabilitation of Syria's infrastructure, devastated by nearly 14 years of civil war, during his first visit to Damascus since anti-regime forces seized power last month.

"We will provide the necessary technical support to make the needed infrastructure operational again and provide support to the electricity sector," said Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani on Thursday.

"The agreement includes supplying power with a capacity of 200 megawatts and gradually increasing production," he said at a joint press conference with the leader of Syria's new administration, Ahmed al Sharaa.

“We are ready to cooperate with Syria’s new administration on various fronts, including lifting sanctions,” he also added.

The Qatari premier condemned Israel’s seizure of the buffer zone in the occupied Syrian Golan Heights.

"The Israeli seizure of the buffer zone with Syria is condemned and it must withdraw immediately,” he added.

Post-Assad Syria

Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesperson Majid Al Ansari said early on Thursday that the visit confirms Qatar’s commitment to supporting Syria during its transitional period.

The visit follows Qatar’s reopening of its embassy in Damascus in late December, ending a closure that had lasted since 2011 following the Assad regime’s brutal crackdown on pro-democracy protests.

Earlier this month, Doha hosted Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Hassan Al Shaibani, further emphasising Qatar’s role in fostering diplomatic ties with post-Assad Syria.

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