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Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Hassan al-Shaibani announced plans to visit Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, and Jordan, following his recent trip to Saudi Arabia, Al Jazeera reported on Saturday.
Al-Shaibani shared the news on social media on Friday, and stated he would be visiting the three countries this week to "support stability, security, economic recovery and build distinguished partnerships". The new Syrian government, which ended the President Bashar al-Assad family's decades-long rule last month, is seeking investment from wealthy Gulf states to rebuild the country's infrastructure and economy, as per Al Jazeera. Syria's economy has been severely impacted by over a decade of war, and the government hopes to attract investment to stimulate economic recovery. According to Al Jazeera, Saudi Arabia already looks set to play a big role in Syria's recovery, with recent high-level diplomatic visits and humanitarian efforts. Earlier this week, Syrian Foreign led a delegation to Riyadh, including the new defence minister and intelligence chief. In a reciprocal move, a Saudi delegation from the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Centre headed to Damascus on Friday, meeting with Syrian Health Minister Maher al-Sharaa. The meeting focused on exploring opportunities for humanitarian and medical cooperation, as Syria's new government, led by Ahmed al-Sharaa, works to rebuild the country's devastated health system, according to state news agency SANA. After 13 years of war and widespread corruption, Syria's healthcare infrastructure is in shambles. The Saudi visit came as the new government, led by Ahmed al-Sharaa, tries to revive a devastated health system, in ruins after 13 years of war and blighted by nepotism and corruption. On Friday, al-Sharaa and Lebanese caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati agreed in a phone call to restore calm on the 375km (233-mile) border following clashes between Lebanese soldiers and Syrian gunmen that left five of the former injured. Mikati's office issued a statement quoting al-Sharaa as saying his administration had done "everything necessary to restore calm on the borders and to prevent a repetition of what happened". Al-Sharaa, who leads the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) group, also invited Mikati to visit Damascus and discuss common interests. (ANI)
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