Maher Marwan, appointed as governor of Damascus after the fall of the Assad regime, courted Türkiye, "a strategic ally in the social, cultural, economic and military sense."

Marwan took office after anti-regime forces that toppled the Baathist regime appointed a new interim government on Dec. 10. Displaced from Damascus during the civil war in 2011; he returned to the capital after working in various positions in the Syrian Salvation Government of anti-regime groups, which was previously based in Idlib.

The governor echoed a common sentiment among Syrians liberated from years of the oppressive regime. "People of Syria and Türkiye are brothers. We are united. Turkish people supported the people of Syria and we will never forget it," he told Anadolu Agency (AA) on Thursday.

Citing Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan’s recent visit to Damascus, Marwan said the visit cemented a vision of the future for Syria for two brotherly people.

Challenges abound for Marwan as the capital reels from the impact of years of civil war. Though partially spared from the devastation, the capital still has outstanding problems. For Marwan, the first task is "rebuilding trust."

"There is a huge gap between people and the state. We have to strengthen trust. We will work to improve efficiency (of institutions) and inspection and living standards in the province," he said.

Among Marwan’s priorities are raising the salaries of employees, providing incentives for local investments and modernizing basic services. He says they would seek incentives to attract local and foreign investors, merchants and industrialists to Damascus.

"Local businesspeople had to leave the country amid the oppression of the former regime. We invite them back," he said.

"We have to work to increase youth employment both in Damascus and other provinces," he said. "The youth will advance Syria. They will build the future," Marwan said.

The governor stated that they were working on improving the city's electric grid and sanitation services. He added that they also prioritized return to work for civil servants who have been serving under the Assad rule. "We also prioritize improving wages. They have been very low for a long time and corruption has rampant in many places. We plan a 400% raise in salaries next month," he said.