LONDON: Ahmed Al-Sharaa, the president of the Syrian Arab Republic, made his first visit to the UK on Tuesday as Damascus aims to attract investment in the reconstruction of the country battered by the civil war.
Al-Sharaa is the first Syrian head of state to visit London since former president Bashar Assad visited the UK in 2002.
He met with Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer to discuss enhancing bilateral relations, cooperation on migration returns, border security, and addressing people smuggling networks.
Sir Keir welcomed the measures taken by the Syrian government against Daesh and the progress in UK-Syria counter-terrorism cooperation, according to a Downing Street spokesperson.
The meeting at 10 Downing Street focused on broader regional stability and economic issues.
Al-Sharaa will hold talks with senior British officials whilst in the UK. He arrived in London following a trip to Germany on Monday, where he met Chancellor Friedrich Merz.
He is accompanied by Syria’s Foreign Affairs and Expatriates Minister Asaad Hassan Al-Shaibani and Economy Minister Nidal Al-Shaar.
