Syrian leaders in Saudi Arabia for their first official foreign visit

Syria’s new foreign minister, Assaad Al-Shibani, made his first statement after arriving in Saudi Arabia for his first foreign visit.

“I have just arrived in the sister kingdom of Saudi Arabia, accompanied by Defense Minister Murhaf Abou Qasra and the head of the intelligence services Anas Khattab”he posted on X. “This first visit in the history of free Syria allows us to open a new and brilliant page in Syrian-Saudi relations, commensurate with the long common history between our two countries”added the head of Syrian diplomacy.

Last week, in an interview with Saudi television channel Al-Arabiya, Syria’s new leader, Ahmed Al-Charaa, said that Saudi Arabia “will certainly play an important role in the future of Syria”evoking “a great investment opportunity for all neighboring countries”.

Syria’s economy and infrastructure have been devastated by more than thirteen years of civil war that began with a brutal crackdown on pro-democracy protests in 2011.

Saudi Arabia supported Syrian rebels seeking to overthrow the government from the start of the civil war. But last year, Riyadh re-established ties with the government of President Bashar Al-Assad and contributed to Syria’s return to the Arab League, ending its regional isolation.