Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa met with Algerian Foreign Minister Ahmed Attaf in Damascus on Saturday, marking the first visit by an Algerian official since the fall of the Bashar al-Assad regime.
The meeting, which also involved Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani, was not accompanied by specific details regarding the discussions, according to a statement from the Syrian presidency.
Attaf’s visit is part of a series of diplomatic engagements by Syria’s new administration, aimed at forging deeper connections with Arab, regional, and international officials to shape the country’s future direction.
The Algerian Foreign Ministry confirmed that Attaf arrived in Damascus as a special envoy of President Abdelmadjid Tebboune. The visit’s main objectives were to reinforce the bond between the two nations and explore opportunities to elevate their bilateral relations to the highest level.
This visit was the first by an Algerian official to Syria following the collapse of Bashar al-Assad’s government in December. Despite the political upheaval, Algeria maintained its embassy in Damascus and upheld its foreign policy principle of “recognizing states, not governments,” a stance established by the country’s founding diplomats post-independence in 1962.
Assad, who had led Syria for nearly 25 years, fled to Russia on December 8, marking the end of the Baath Party’s decades-long rule in the country.
