Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani visited Damascus on Thursday and met newly declared transitional President Ahmed al-Sharaa, in the first visit by a head of state to the Syrian capital since Bashar al-Assad was toppled on Dec.

Qatar’s Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani arrived in Damascus on Thursday for a historic visit, marking the first time a head of state has traveled to Syria since the fall of the Assad regime. During his trip, Sheikh Tamim held bilateral talks with Syria’s newly inaugurated interim president, Ahmed al-Sharaa, at the Presidential Palace in Damascus.

Qatar has been actively seeking a sanctions exemption from Washington that would allow Doha to provide financial support through official channels.

Qatar's emir has travelled to Damascus on Thursday, Al Jazeera and the Syrian embassy said, becoming the first head of state to visit since the toppling of long-time president Bashar al-Assad. Unlike other Arab countries, Qatar did not restore diplomatic ties with Syria under Assad since the Syrian uprising in 2011.

Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani said discussions with a Qatari delegation in Damascus Thursday included reconstruction in the war-torn country, during the first visit by a head of state since Bashar al-Assad's ouster.

Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani visits Damascus on Thursday, Qatar's Al Jazeera reported, as Syria's new interim government begins a political transition after the opposition factions ousted the Assad regime last year.

Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani visited Damascus on Thursday, the first visit by a head of state to the Syrian capital since the Dec. 8 fall of President Bashar al-Assad to an Islamist rebel offensive.