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Syria’s de-facto leader has praised Saudi Arabia on its economic vision and said he had ambitions to replicate such plans in his own war-torn country, as he addressed concerns over his transitional government and vowed not to allow Syria to become another source of regional instability.

Ahmed al-Sharaa spoke to Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper, in his first interview with a Saudi publication since his Islamist Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) group led a rebel offensive and ousted long-time dictator Bashar al-Assad.

The quick and dramatic collapse of Assad’s Baathist regime shook the Middle East and has raised concerns among key regional players of what comes next in Syria.

HTS announced a government which will oversee a transitional phase in Syria until March next year, and the group, despite its origins in the Syrian branch of Al-Qaeda, has recently adopted a more moderate tone.

'Bold plans' in Saudi Arabia

Al-Sharaa expressed his admiration for the Gulf, saying its countries have advanced to a level he wishes for his own country, ravaged by nearly 14 years of war.

"The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has made very bold plans and has a development vision that we also look forward to. There are undoubtedly many meeting points we can reach [with Saudi Arabia] … cooperating in the economy and development" as well as other fields, he told Asharq Al-Awsat.

First announced in 2016 and spearheaded by the Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman, Saudi Vision 2030 aims to diversify the kingdom’s economy and reduce reliance on oil by boosting private sector growth.

The country has opened up to tourism and entertainment projects and has relaxed laws governing civil rights, particularly for women.

'Iran’s project has gone back 40 years'

Speaking from the presidential palace in Damascus that was abandoned by Assad as rebel forces closed in on the city on 8 December, Al-Sharaa said that under the former regime, Syria had turned into a base for Iran, which he said wreaked havoc on all countries in which it interfered.

It was Iran that destabilised the security of the Gulf and flooded the region with Captagon, said the HTS chief, in reference to the drug empire ran by Assad’s brother, Maher, and other figures associated with the regime.

The production of Captagon – an amphetamine-type stimulant – turned Syria into a narco-state and weighed heavily on ties between Damascus and the Gulf, especially Saudi Arabia. The issue has also long troubled Syria’s neighbouring countries Lebanon, Jordan and Iraq.

"What we accomplished with the least possible damage and loss [of life] – namely expelling Iranian militias and completely closing off Syria as a platform for Iranian arms – and the great interests this will have on the entire region, were not achieved through diplomacy or pressure" on Assad, Al-Sharaa said, referring to the offensive that brought down the regime.

Iran and Tehran-backed militias had fought alongside Assad’s forces throughout the multi-faceted conflict. Thousands of Iranian fighters and pro-Iran militias have now pulled out of Syria, including the Lebanese Hezbollah group, which itself has just come out of a devastating war with Israel in Lebanon.

"Today, we say that Gulf strategic security has become safer and more secure because the Iranian project in the region has gone back 40 years," said Al-Sharaa.

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Since ousting the regime and coming to power, the former Al-Qaeda operative has sent messages of reassurances to Syria’s various communities, especially religious minority groups. Al-Sharaa has also been keen to reassure neighbouring states, amid concerns that the regime overthrow in Syria will spillover in the region.

"The Syrian revolution ended with the fall of the regime, and we will not allow it to be exported to any other place, and Syria will not be a platform to attack … any Arab or Gulf country, whichever it may be," he said.

"Many people interfered in the Syrian revolution, but today we are in a new phase, which is state building."

"We seek to build effective strategic relations with these countries. Syria is tired of wars and of being a proxy battleground for others. We need to rebuild our country and build confidence in it, because Syria is a country at the heart of the Arab" world, he continues.

Mutual respect with Lebanon

Commenting on Syria’s future ties with Lebanon, Al-Sharaa said his government does not seek any dominating relationship with the smaller neighbouring country.

"There was a lot of concern in [messages] we received from our Lebanese brothers because of our arrival [to power] in Damascus," he said, revealing that some of Lebanon’s political groups were worried that this change in Syria would tip the balance in favour of one Lebanese side over another.

"In fact, we do not seek any dominating relationship with our Lebanese neighbour, but rather a relationship of respect and exchange. We do not want to interfere in Lebanese internal affairs, as we have enough work in our own country,"Al-Sharaa told Asharq Al-Awsat.

"We want to build good relations, and we will stand at an equal distance with all Lebanese people, and what pleases them pleases us."

The Syrian army maintained a presence in Lebanon between 1976, shortly after the Lebanese Civil War started, and 2005. Throughout most of this period, Syria exercised a hegemonic relationship with Lebanon, dominating Lebanese politics.

The collapsed Assad regime is suspected of being behind a string of bombings and assassinations targeting politicians, journalists and other influential figures in Lebanon.

A long list of issues of contention are yet to be solved between Lebanon and Syria, including forcefully disappeared Lebanese andÌýborder demarcation.