Italian FM tours landmark mosque in first Syria visit / Photo: © AFP
-
Qatar Airways Launches Bogotá-Caracas-Doha Route Linking Energy Markets
-
Maui Wildfire Study Faces Funding Crisis Amid Health Concerns
-
Marc Almond to Close Soft Cell Era After Final 'Danceteria' Tour
-
Rene Eyre Revisits Autobiographical Performance 'Say A Little Prayer' in London
-
London Museum Granted 24/7 License Ahead of November Opening
-
UAE's HCT Holds Record Graduation and Announces Major Training Expansion
-
Dana White Confirms Flight to Washington for Trump Meeting on Press Secretary Role
-
NASA Awards $10B Lunar Contract Framework to SpaceX, Blue Origin
-
Dengue Fever Expands Into High Himalayas as Climate Change Warms Nepal
-
Katy Perry Tells Fans Ex-Husband Russell Brand 'Should Be in Jail' During UK Concert
-
IoT Refrigerator Hacks Disrupt Blood Labs and Supermarkets Across Europe and US
Italian FM tours landmark mosque in first Syria visit
Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani began his first official visit to post-Assad Syria on Friday with a tour of the landmark Umayyad mosque in Damascus.
"It's a great pleasure... to be here this morning to visit and pay homage to all Syrian believers," he told AFP from the mosque, which is about 1,300 years old and he described as "one of the most beautiful" in the world.
He is expected to meet Syria's de facto ruler Ahmed al-Sharaa and his counterpart Asaad al-Shaibani at the presidential palace later in the morning.
Sharaa heads the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham Islamist group that spearheaded the rebel offensive that ousted president Bashar al-Assad last month, ending more than five decades of his family's repressive rule.
Tajani arrived after hosting talks with European counterparts and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Rome, where Tajani said they are seeking a "stable and united Syria".
The Italian minister has said he plans to announce an initial development aid package for impoverished, sanctions-hit and war-battered Syria.
T.Egger--VB
