New Syria leader holds talks with Jordan king
A handout picture released by the Jordanian Royal Palace shows King Abdullah II (L) welcoming Syria's interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa at Jordan's Marka airport on February 26, 2025. ©Jordanian Royal Palace / AFP

Syria's interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa met Jordan's King Abdullah II in Amman on Wednesday on his third foreign visit since ousting Bashar al-Assad.

King Abdullah II greeted Sharaa at Amman's Marka airport, the royal court said in a statement.

The two leaders then headed to Raghadan Palace for their first talks since Sharaa took power.

It is Sharaa's third foreign visit since Assad's overthrow in December, after trips to Saudi Arabia and Turkey.

Sharaa was accompanied by Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani, who had visited Amman in January for talks with his counterpart Ayman Safadi.

During Shaibani's visit, the two governments agreed to work together to tackle narcotics and weapons smuggling across their shared border.

Production of the amphetamine-like stimulant captagon and other drugs soared in Syria during the civil war, with evidence uncovered after Assad's overthrow showing heavy involvement by his government.

Jordan was one of only a handful of Arab countries to keep its embassy in Damascus open after the civil war broke out in 2011.

It hosted an international summit on Syria on December 14, less than a week after Assad was toppled.

With AFP

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