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Syria’s new leaders are in desperate need of partners who can provide fiscal, economic, and diplomatic support. Since overthrowing the Assad regime, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham’s leader, Ahmed al Sharaa, has actively reached out to multiple governments. Recently, new Foreign Minister Asaad al Shaibani visited Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Jordan, and Turkey. Qatar and Turkey have reopened embassies in Damascus. Yet, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham’s Islamist background, among other concerns, poses a challenge to its relations with its neighbors and Gulf Arab states, as well as European governments and the United States. We asked five experts to examine some of the most crucial regional relationships.Read more below.Anna Jacobs Non-resident Fellow at the Arab Gulf States Institute in WashingtonAmong the Gulf states, Qatar has the strongest ties to the new authorities in Damascus. Qatar did not follow the Emirati-led regional trend to resume relations with the Assad regime and hosted an office for the Syrian opposition in Doha throughout the war, even after Syria’s return to the Arab League in 2023. Now that the tables have turned in Damascus, Qatar, along with Turkey, is best positioned with the new government. Qatar was the first Gulf state to set up a dialogue channel with Hayat Tahrir al-Sham and to begin delivering humanitarian aid into Syria. Qatar and Turkey — along with Saudi Arabia and Jordan — are already in advanced discussions to address some of the most pressing concerns for the new Syrian government, such as increasing the electricity supply.Unlike most of the other Gulf Arab states, Qatar has a strong relationship with Turkey and does not view Ankara’s growing footprint in the region as a threat. The two states will likely coordinate closely to support Syria’s transition. However, Doha will likely opt to tread lightly and also coordinate with Saudi