Syrian president meets Algeria’s foreign minister on 1st visit to post-Assad Syria

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa met in Damascus on Saturday with Algerian Foreign Minister Ahmed Attaf, Anadolu Agency reports.

The presidency, however, did not provide any details about the content of the meeting, which was also attended by Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani.

Saturday’s meeting was the latest in a series of diplomatic engagements by Syria’s new administration with Arab, regional, and international officials to discuss its vision for Syria’s future.

The Algerian Foreign Ministry said that Attaf arrived in Damascus for an official visit as a special envoy of President Abdelmadjid Tebboune.

According to the ministry, the visit aims to strengthen relations between Algeria and Syria and explore ways to elevate bilateral ties to the highest possible level.

“The visit seeks to reaffirm Algeria’s solidarity with Syria during this critical period in its modern history,” it added.

Attaf’s visit marked the first by an Algerian official to Syria since the fall of the Bashar al-Assad regime in December.

Following Assad’s ouster, Algeria kept its embassy in Damascus open. The North African nation reiterated its long-standing foreign policy principle of “recognizing states, not governments,” a doctrine established by Algeria’s founding diplomats after gaining independence in 1962.

Assad, Syria’s leader for nearly 25 years, fled to Russia on Dec. 8, ending the regime of the Baath Party, which had been in power since 1963.

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