Jordan's Foreign Minister has held talks with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa in Damascus while regional leaders are on their way to negotiate with new officials after the removal of President Bashar al-Assad two weeks ago.
“We are standing up for our Syrian brothers as they begin the process of rebuilding,” Ayman Safadi told Al Jazeera on Monday.
“We want a stable, safe, secure Syria that guarantees the rights of its people through a transition process that is compatible with the aspirations of the Syrian people,” Safadi said.
Mohammed al-Khulaifi, Minister of State at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Qatar, also arrived in the Syrian capital, 13 days after Doha opened its embassy in Damascus after 13 years.
Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesman Majed al-Ansari said al-Khulaifi will hold several meetings with Syrian officials “to establish Qatar's role in providing full support to the Syrian people”.
Monday's high-profile visit came a day after Turkey's foreign minister pledged support for political reform and reconstruction in the war-torn country after meeting with government officials.
Hakan Fidan and al-Sharaa on Sunday emphasized the importance of unity and stability in Syria, while demanding that all international sanctions be lifted against the war-torn country.
Turkey supported the Syrian opposition forces led by al-Sharaa's Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), who led the brutal uprising that ousted Bashar al-Assad's 54-year-old regime.
Safadi also said that the security and stability of Syria is a priority for Jordan and the region.
“We share a 375km (230-mile) border with Syria. We want the border to be stable, free of terrorists, free of drugs and arms smuggling,” he told Al Jazeera.
In recent years, Jordan has tightened its border to combat drug and weapons smuggling along its border with Syria. One of the most smuggled drugs is the amphetamine-like stimulant Captagon, which is in high demand in the oil-rich Gulf.
“We are fixing the problem and discussing the security of our borders with Sharaa today,” Safadi said.
Jordan's foreign minister also criticized Israel's attacks on Syria in recent days and said, “It is disrupting the Syrian regime.”
“Israel must withdraw from Syrian territory in honor of the 1974 agreement,” he said.
Jordan also held a meeting earlier this month where top diplomats from the Arab world, Turkey, the EU and the US called for a peaceful and peaceful transition after more than a decade.
Reports from Damascus, Al Jazeera's Hashem Ahelbarra said the new authorities in Syria are eager to be recognized by neighboring countries.
“Regarding (the meeting with) Jordan, this will be very encouraging for al-Sharaa. They want to build bridges with Jordan. There are many connections on the border between Jordan and Syria,” said Ahelbarra.
Jordan has also received hundreds of thousands of Syrian refugees, some of whom have returned home since the fall of al-Assad. Jordan says it has 1.3 million refugees, but the United Nations says 680,000 Syrian refugees are registered with it.
Al-Sharaa has received Arab ambassadors, as well as Western ambassadors, as they seek diplomatic recognition.
Al Jazeera's Ahebarra said that al-Sharaa met with the Turkish foreign minister yesterday and met with the chief adviser of the king of Saudi Arabia, to discuss the future of Syria.
Saudi Arabian regional authorities are expected to send a delegation soon, according to the Syrian embassy in Riyadh.
Apart from neighboring Arab countries, al-Sharaa has also received many foreign delegations since coming to power.
On Friday, the US ambassador to the Middle East, Barbara Leaf, met with the Syrian leader. Leaf said he hoped that Syria would end any part of Iran's influence. A few European delegations have also visited in recent days.
Sultan Barakat, from Hamad bin Khalifa University in Doha, told Al Jazeera: “I think the people of Jordan, as well as the neighboring countries, have been encouraged by the Americans coming to Syria first… they are very happy that the change to the government it has happened.”
“They understand that the Syrian people have been suffering for more than 50 years, especially the last 13 years have caused instability in the region. So everyone welcomes stability in Syria,” he said.
Separately, on Monday, Iran confirmed its support for the Syrian regime and said the country should not become a “terrorist haven” after the fall of President al-Assad, whom Tehran supported in the war.
Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei also said: “To maintain the sovereignty and integrity of Syria and for the Syrian people to decide their future without interference from other countries.”