A hmed al-Sharaa, Syria’s president, spoke to The Economist on January 31st in Damascus. The conversation has been translated and lightly edited for clarity. You can read our analysis of the interview here.

Syria’s new leaders hosted a conference at which Hayat Tahrir al Sham (HTS) leader Ahmad al Sharaa (Abu Mohammad al Jolani) was appointed as the president of Syria for the transitional period. Additionally,

As president, al-Sharaa has also been authorised to form a temporary legislative council for the transitional phase which will carry out its task until a new constitution is adopt

He had spent the day with the leaders of Syria’s myriad armed factions, trying to persuade them to disband. Over seven weeks after the fall of Damascus, the fate of these groups is still uncertain. His aides claim that all militias will be dissolved and then absorbed into a new national army.

Sharaa, the leader of the main rebel group who led the overthrow of Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad, has been named Syria's transitional president, the country's military command announced on Jan. 29.

Pakistan Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif hoped that Ahmed Al Sharaa taking over as president of Syria would bring progress and peace to the war-torn country. “We welcome Mr. Ahmed Al Sharaa’s assumption of office as president of the Syrian Arab Republic during the transitional phase and hope that the new leadership will be able to bring peace,

Syria's Interim President Ahmed Al Sharaa visits Turkey for high-level talks with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The meeting is seen as a significant diplomatic move amid ongoing regional tensions and efforts for cooperation between the two countries.