Damascus: Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani on Monday received Jake McGee, US deputy assistant secretary of state, in the capital Damascus to discuss expanding bilateral cooperation and partnership between the two countries.

According to Anadolu Agency, the Syrian Foreign Ministry stated that the meeting also addressed recent regional and international developments. The ministry did not specify when McGee arrived or how long his visit to Damascus would last.

The meeting took place roughly a week after al-Shaibani held discussions with Thomas Barrack, the US special envoy to Syria and ambassador to Trkiye, in the Turkish capital Ankara on September 8. Contacts between Damascus and Washington have intensified since the December 2024 downfall of the Assad regime. Syria's post-Assad government is seeking to strengthen its international ties, support economic recovery efforts, and attract investment.