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Syrian Interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa met Greece’s visiting foreign minister Giorgos Gerapetritis in Damascus on Sunday, as more countries express readiness to build ties with a post-Assad Syria.

Al-Sharaa and his foreign minister in Syria’s interim government, Asaad al-Shibani, received "a high-level Greek delegation headed by Mr. Giorgos Gerapetritis, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Greece," the Syrian presidency .

No further details about the meeting were given, but came amid a flurry of diplomatic visits from regional and other countries in recent weeks. Top diplomats from Germany, France, Italy and Spain have already visited Syria and met with Al-Sharaa.

Greece had closed its embassy in Syria in July 2012, just over a year after the Syrian war began, and reopened it in June 2021 when Bashar al-Assad was still president of Syria.

Athens had moved to mend ties with Damascus at a time many Arab, European and global nations had refused to do so.

Assad and his regime were ousted in a lighting rebel offensive, led by Al-Sharaa’s Hayat Tahrir al-Sham group, in December last year. The rebels are now governing the country for a transitional period.

EU foreign ministers last month agreed to beginÌýeasing sanctionsÌýon war-battered Syria, andÌýforeign affairs chief Kaja KallasÌýsaid ministers had signed up to a "roadmap" for lifting the sanctions starting with key sectors such as energy where relief is needed most urgently.

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