Syrian regime’s president Bashar al-Assad arrived in Saudi Arabia today, Monday, November 11, to participate in the urgent Arab-Islamic summit.
The Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) reported that Bashar al-Assad was received at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh by Prince Mohammed bin Abdul Rahman bin Abdulaziz, Deputy Governor of Riyadh, and Faisal bin Abdulaziz bin Ayyaf, Secretary of the Region.
Al-Assad was also received by Abdullah al-Haris, the chargé d’affaires at the Saudi Embassy in Syria, and Ayman Soussan, the Syrian Ambassador to the Saudi Kingdom.
Official media did not previously announce al-Assad’s intention to attend the Arab-Islamic summit.
Syrian Foreign Minister Bassam Sabbagh had arrived in Riyadh ahead of al-Assad to attend the preparatory meeting of foreign ministers for the joint Arab-Islamic summit in Riyadh.
Sabbagh met on Sunday, November 10, with Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan, during which they discussed the developments taking place in the region, the efforts being made to stop the Israeli war on Palestine and Lebanon, and the repeated Israeli attacks on Syria, according to SANA.
The Syrian Foreign Minister also met with his Egyptian counterpart, Badr Abdel Atty, where opinions were exchanged regarding the agenda of the joint Arab-Islamic summit, as mentioned by SANA.
The last Arab summit attended by al-Assad was in Bahrain, where he did not give a speech during the opening session of the 33rd Arab summit held on May 16 in the capital, Manama, raising questions about the reason.
The Manama summit was al-Assad’s second participation in the Arab summits after Syria’s seat was restored in the Arab League.
Arab foreign ministers agreed to reinstate Syria’s seat in the Arab League in early May 2023, after more than a decade of Arab estrangement from the regime following the outbreak of the revolution and the regime’s repressive handling of it.
Following Syria’s return to the Arab League, Bashar al-Assad traveled to Saudi Arabia on May 18, 2023, in what was his first visit since the beginning of the revolution in Syria in 2011, where he participated in the Arab summit hosted by the Kingdom during its 32nd session in Jeddah.
On November 10, 2023, he headed to Saudi Arabia to participate in the emergency Arab summit regarding the Israeli escalation in the Gaza Strip.
Saudi Arabia called for a joint Arab-Islamic summit in Riyadh to discuss the situation in the region amidst the ongoing Israeli war in Gaza and Lebanon.
The Saudi Foreign Ministry stated in a statement on Wednesday, October 30, that the anticipated summit will take place on November 11, indicating that it represents an extension of the joint Arab-Islamic summit held in Riyadh on November 11, 2023, as reported by the Saudi Press Agency.
The Saudi Foreign Ministry’s statement noted that the invitation to hold the Arab-Islamic summit came at the request of Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, in coordination with leaders of Arab and Islamic countries.