Syria's de facto ruler Ahmed al-Sharaa hosted Lebanese Druze leader Walid Jumbalad in another bid to reassure minorities they will be protected after Islamist rebels led the ousting of Bashar Assad two weeks ago.

Sharaa, who heads the Islamist Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) group, said no sects would be excluded in the country, in what he described as "a new era far removed from sectarianism."

'Our duty to protect them' — interim leader

HTS was the main group that forced Assad out on December 8, with some Syrians and foreign countries having voiced concerns he may impose strict Islamic governance on a country with numerous minority groups, including Druze, Kurds, Christians and Alawites.

"We take pride in our culture, our religion and our Islam. Being part of the Islamic environment does not mean the exclusion of other sects. On the contrary, it is our duty to protect them," he said during the meeting with Jumblatt, according to Lebanese broadcaster Al Jadeed.

During the meeting, Sharaa also said Syria will no longer exert "negative interference in Lebanonat all," and that Damascus "respects Lebanon's sovereignty, the unity of its territories, the independence of its decisions and its security stability."

Sharaa acknowledged Syria has been a "source of fear and anxiety" for its neighbor, and added the country will "stay at equal distance from all" in Lebanon.

More engagement with interim leadership

In the past several days, Syria hosted numerous foreign visitors, amongst them, Turkey's Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, who met al-Sharaa in Damascus, according to Turkey's foreign ministry.

Footage shared by the ministry showed Fidan and Sharaa shaking hands, hugging and smiling.

After the meeting, Fidan called for the international community to engage with Syria's new administration, while calling for sanctions imposed on the country during Assad's regime, to be lifted.

Turkey has maintained strong ties with Syria's new leaders.

Another Middle Eastern country that has been supporting Syria's opposition for years on end is Saudi Arabia. Riyadh said it will send a delegation to Syria soon, according to the Syrian ambassador in the Saudi capital.

Western governments have been weighing up how best to engage with Syria's interim leadership due to HTS being under EU sanctions and also its designated status as a terrorist group.

ftm/kb (AFP, Reuters)