Syria, Qatar discuss expanding security cooperation, expertise exchange

Syrian Interior Minister Anas Khattab and his Qatari counterpart, Khalifa bin Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, discussed ways to strengthen security cooperation and coordination between the two countries on Thursday.

Khattab received his Qatari counterpart, who also heads Qatar’s Internal Security Force, Lekhwiya, and his accompanying delegation at Tishreen Palace in the Syrian capital Damascus, according to a statement from the Syrian Interior Ministry.

The meeting addressed “a number of issues and matters of mutual interest” and ways to “strengthen security cooperation and coordination between the two interior ministries in a manner that serves the interests of both countries and peoples and supports the foundations of security and stability,” the statement said.

On Sept. 4, 2025, the two officials discussed strengthening security cooperation during a meeting in the Qatari capital Doha, according to the Qatar News Agency (QNA).

Khattab said at the time that the two sides had discussed “ways to strengthen joint cooperation, particularly in security fields of mutual interest.”

During the Syrian minister’s visit to Doha, he toured the headquarters of Qatar’s Internal Security Force, Lekhwiya, and the National Command Center, where he was briefed on crisis management technologies and systems.

The visit also included discussions on developing security and administrative cooperation and exchanging expertise.