Enab Baladi – Hani Karazi

The new Syrian government conducted its first official foreign visit after the fall of the Syrian regime, which took place in Saudi Arabia, carrying significant implications for the role that Riyadh might play in Syria’s future.

On January 1st, a Syrian delegation, including the foreign minister, the defense minister, and the head of Syrian intelligence, arrived in Saudi Arabia and held several diplomatic meetings with Saudi officials.

This visit came after the Syrian Foreign Minister, Asaad al-Shibani, received an official invitation to visit the kingdom two days earlier from his Saudi counterpart, Faisal bin Farhan, as part of efforts to enhance relations between the two countries.

Saudi Arabia, The first destination

After the fall of Bashar al-Assad, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan was the first official to visit Damascus and meet with the leader of the new Syrian administration, Ahmed al-Sharaa.

However, when the first official delegation from the interim government of Damascus departed, its destination was Arab — Saudi Arabia, highlighting the kingdom’s role for the new Syria.

The importance of Saudi Arabia’s role for Syria was also evident when Ahmed al-Sharaa chose the Saudi channel “Al-Arabiya” to conduct his first televised interview with an Arab media outlet.

During the interview on December 29, 2024, al-Sharaa considered that “liberating Syria ensures the security of the region and the Gulf for the next 50 years,” referring to Saudi Arabia’s major role in Syria’s future and praising the kingdom’s economic trends.

Political analyst Ahmad Mazhar Sado stated to Enab Baladi that choosing Saudi Arabia as the gateway for Syria’s foreign relations demonstrates the new Syrian administration’s significant interest in the regional and Arab role of the kingdom. This opens the door wide for a new and distinctive Syrian role while constraining other regional efforts that attempt to disrupt the Syrian reality or yearn for a past role of Assad’s tyranny.

In turn, political researcher Nader al-Khalil noted that selecting Riyadh as the first destination for the new Syrian administration’s officials after al-Assad’s fall indicates the importance of Saudi Arabia and its political and economic role in Syria, as well as increasing momentum and support for it, given its significant influence on the regional and international political and economic levels.

Al-Khalil added to Enab Baladi that Saudi Arabia’s openness, acceptance, and welcoming of the Syrian new administration officials and raising the new flag indicates Saudi Arabia’s serious desire to support the new administration.

Notably, what came in the Saudi Ministry of Defense’s statement following the Syrian delegation’s visit was quite striking, as it confirmed its support for the transitional political process. This is an important point, according to al-Khalil, indicating regional focus on establishing a political process and that the new administration will not monopolize power; rather, there will be a form of shared governance among the components of the Syrian people in the upcoming phase.

Following his visit to Riyadh, Asaad al-Shibani stated that the Syrian delegation communicated its national vision for establishing a government built on participation and efficiency, encompassing all Syrian components.

Regional economic dimension

The Syrian visit to Saudi Arabia carried an economic dimension. In parallel with the political stability that the new administration seeks in Damascus, it faces significant challenges in achieving economic stability as the new administration took over a country that had collapsed economically following al-Assad’s fall.

The Syrian foreign minister stated, “We conveyed our vision to Riyadh for launching an economic development plan that facilitates investment opportunities, establishes strategic partnerships, and revitalizes the living and service reality.”

Al-Shibani added that the kingdom confirmed its support for the Syrian people and the new Syrian administration and its readiness to participate in reviving Syria and supporting its unity and territorial integrity.

As part of its economic support for Syria, Saudi Arabia announced the establishment of an airbridge to Damascus, which initially included the sending of four planes to Damascus airport carrying humanitarian aid, including medical, food, and shelter supplies “to alleviate the difficult conditions” for Syrians.

Syria is suffering economically amid the collapse of its local currency, coinciding with Western sanctions that the new administration is working to eliminate following the fall of al-Assad’s regime.

Saudi news channel “Al-Ekhbariya” reported that the airbridge for aid to Syria is ongoing and not limited in the number of planes, indicating that truckloads of gasoline would arrive in Syria to meet the energy sector’s needs.

This step comes after both Iran and Iraq halted their oil supplies to Syria following the fall of the ousted Bashar al-Assad regime on December 8, 2024.

Nader al-Khalil believes that what the Syrian administration seeks from this visit is clear: to gain Saudi economic support and participate in reconstruction while simultaneously seeking some form of Arab and regional legitimacy, given Saudi Arabia’s significant Arab and regional role.

He added that Saudi Arabia could open doors for the new Syrian administration toward Arab and Western capitals. The results of the Syrian visit to Riyadh might lead some Arab countries to alleviate or change their negative stances toward the Syrian administration.

For his part, Ahmad Mazhar Sado stated that Saudi Arabia could play a significant role in reinstating Syria to its natural role within the Arab League and also in restoring its important regional role away from Iranian hegemony, contributing to counteracting it as well. Furthermore, any Syrian revival requires substantial financial support, and I believe the kingdom can support that based on mutual respect between the two countries.

In May 2023, Saudi Arabia facilitated the return of Bashar al-Assad’s regime to the Arab League, allowing it to participate in two Arab summits, one in Jeddah and the other in Manama, as well as in two Arab Islamic summits in Riyadh, before the regime’s ultimate fall at the end of 2024.

Saudi-Turkish role

Following the fall of the regime, Turkish statements regarding political and economic support for Syria accelerated. Turkish Minister of Transport and Infrastructure, Abdulkadir Uraloğlu, revealed Turkish plans for rehabilitating the infrastructure in Syria, stating, “Syria needs everything.”

Uraloğlu stressed that improving the two highways (M4 and M5) and rebuilding destroyed bridges are among the priorities, noting that investments will be executed through Turkish organizations such as “TIKA” and “AFAD” as part of efforts to improve infrastructure and support stability in Syria.

He added, “We will conclude an agreement with the new Syrian administration to demarcate maritime borders. We have an urgent action plan that includes resuming air, rail, and land transport services, as well as improving communication networks and reopening airports.”

For his part, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan stated that Turkey is committed to providing support in rebuilding Syria after the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime.

The Turkish statements came in parallel with Saudi announcements to provide economic and political support for Syria, raising questions about the potential for Turkish-Saudi competition over interests in Syria, or whether it might be a complementary role.

In this regard, researcher Nader al-Khalil remarked that while some see signs of competition between Turkey and Saudi Arabia and believe that Riyadh’s entry into the Syrian scene could harm Turkish influence, it does not appear to be the case. Rather, the Saudi role will likely be complementary to the Turkish role. Ankara seems open to this role, and the recent visit of the Turkish foreign minister to the UAE shows Turkish welcome to Emirati involvement in Syria.

Al-Khalil pointed out that Turkey has an interest in attracting Gulf countries, with Saudi Arabia at the forefront, to invest in Syria and contribute to reconstruction since this would positively reflect on Turkish companies operating in Syria. Thus, the relationship between Ankara and Riyadh will likely be characterized by complementary roles, possibly with some political competition, but not detrimental to overall Syrian dynamics.

He emphasized that Turkey might provide more security and military support and will have a role in reconstruction, but it cannot shoulder the economic burden alone. Hence, Saudi Arabia’s role in financing will be greater and more crucial in this aspect.

What does Riyadh want from Damascus?

While the new Syrian administration focuses on Saudi Arabia’s role in Syria, Riyadh, in turn, awaits the roles that the Syrian government can play to serve Saudi interests.

In this context, Ahmad Mazhar Sado noted that what Saudi Arabia desires from the new administration in Syria is to further network relationships with the Arab world, distancing itself from Iranian influence and ambitions, and for Damascus to continue cutting off Iran’s path to the Arab region, neutralizing the Iranian threat to the entire area.

Moreover, Saudi Arabia seeks a stable Syria that can play its Arab role free from “captagon disturbances,” while also cutting off pathways for Iranian militias in the region that were previously the worst actors due to the alleged export of Iranian revolution to the Arab region as a whole.

Therefore, what the kingdom also wants is to establish good relations between Damascus and Riyadh, devoid of the corruption and disruption that previous regime tools and Iranian militias implemented, according to Sado.

Saudi Arabia is among the Gulf countries most severely affected by the influx of captagon drugs into it and other Gulf nations from Syria through Jordan. Its previous diplomatic attempts with the ousted Assad regime to halt the drug flow have failed, as evidenced by the discoveries of drug manufacturing facilities and warehouses within military units and security branches following al-Assad’s fall and his escape to Moscow.