HE the Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim al-Thani on Tuesday received a high-level Syrian delegation headed by Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates Asaad Hassan al-Shaibani, accompanied by seven ministers.

At the outset of the meeting, al-Shaibani conveyed the greetings of Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa to His Highness the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, and his wishes for continued progress and prosperity to Qatar, its government, and people. He also expressed Syria's deep appreciation for Qatar's initiatives and continuous efforts in support of the reconstruction process in Syria, praising Qatar's firm stances toward supporting the Syrian people.

In turn, HE the Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs conveyed the greetings of His Highness the Amir to the Syrian president wishing him continued health and happiness, and continued progress and prosperity for the government and people of Syria.

The meeting discussed the bilateral relations, emphasising the depth of fraternal ties that unite them and their mutual commitment to strengthening and developing co-operation in various areas of common interest.

The meeting also discussed ways to expand co-operation in the energy, economy, trade, finance, tourism, communications, information technology, higher education, development, and other sectors, including supporting and supplying Syria with electricity, settling the country's debt to the World Bank, jointly by Qatar and Saudi Arabia, providing joint financial support from Qatar and Saudi Arabia to support the salaries of public sector workers for three months.

The Qatari side reiterated the State's firm and supportive stances on the unity, sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity of Syria, as well as on the realisation of the aspirations of its fraternal people for a dignified life and the building of a state of institutions and law. It also categorically rejected any attempts to undermine Syria's unity or undermine its national sovereignty.

For its part, the Syrian side affirmed its pride in Qatar's supportive stance towards the Syrian people, praising its role at various stages and reiterating the Syria's commitment to the principles of respecting the sovereignty of states and non-interference in their internal affairs.