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.

The trip by Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, less than two months after Islamist-led rebels ousted Assad, comes a day after Syrian leader Ahmed al-Sharaa was appointed interim president for an unspecified transitional period. It also follows a visit by Qatar's prime minister earlier this month.

"We discussed a comprehensive framework for bilateral cooperation concerning reconstruction" in the country devastated by nearly 14 years of civil war, Shaibani said during a press conference with Qatari Minister of State at the foreign ministry, Mohammed al-Khulaifi.

He said their talks covered "vital sectors including........

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