Syria’s new foreign minister Asaad al-Shaibani landed in the United Arab Emirates Monday on his first visit to the country since rebels toppled president Bashar al-Assad last month, official news agency SANA said.

“Shaibani, accompanied by defence minister Murhaf Abu Qasra and intelligence chief Anas Khattab, has arrived in the United Arab Emirates,” SANA reported.

Shaibani also posted a picture of himself on X stepping off a plane, and said he looked forward “to building constructive bilateral relations”.

The officials took office after Islamist-led rebels swept into Damascus in early December, toppling Assad after more than 13 years of civil war.

Their trip to the UAE comes after they visited its Gulf neighbours Qatar on Sunday and Saudi Arabia last week.