TEHRAN, December 21 (MNA) – Qatar reopened its embassy in Damascus on Saturday, 13 years after it was closed early in Syria’s civil conflict, as foreign governments seek to establish ties with the country’s new rulers.An AFP journalist saw Qatar’s flag raised over the mission, making it the second nation, after Turkiye, to officially reopen its embassy since Islamist-led militants drove president Bashar Assad from power earlier this month, Arab News reports.

Earlier on Saturday, workers were busy sweeping the pavement, cleaning the area and removing graffiti from the building’s walls.

One of the workers had placed the Qatari flag at the base of the flagpole.

Doha sent a diplomatic delegation to Damascus several days ago to meet with the transitional government.

The mission expressed “Doha’s full commitment to support the Syrian people,” a Qatari diplomat said.

On Tuesday, the European Union said it was ready to reopen its diplomatic mission in Damascus, while Britain, France and the United States have all sent delegations to the Syrian capital since Assad’s overthrow.

The French flag was raised over Paris’s embassy in Damascus on Tuesday, although the country’s special envoy to Syria said the mission would remain closed “as long as security criteria are not met.” MNA/