Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan began an official visit to the Syrian capital, Damascus, today, Friday, January 24.
The Saudi minister met with his Syrian counterpart, Asaad al-Shibani, and the leader of the new Syrian administration, Ahmed al-Sharaa.
This is the first visit by a Saudi foreign minister following the ousting of the former president Bashar al-Assad on December 8, 2024. It was preceded by two visits from the Syrian foreign minister to Riyadh, one of which was part of a high-level diplomatic delegation.
On January 12, the Saudi capital hosted two meetings to discuss the situation in Syria and ways to provide humanitarian and political support, with al-Shibani participating.
A meeting was held that included representatives from several Arab countries, with the participation of the Syrian Foreign Minister, Asaad al-Shibani. Another meeting took place with the attendance of foreign ministers and representatives for Syria, including Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, the UAE, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Turkey, the UK, Northern Ireland, the United States, the Secretary-General of the Arab League, the Secretary-General of the Gulf Cooperation Council, the UN Special Envoy for Syria, and the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs.
This international meeting is considered the first concerning Syria after the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime, following the meeting in Aqaba less than a week after the fall of the regime and Assad’s flight to Moscow.
Another meeting was held with the participation of foreign ministers from Syria, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Qatar, the UAE, Jordan, Oman, Lebanon, Bahrain, Kuwait, the Secretary-General of the Arab League, and the Secretary-General of the Gulf Cooperation Council.
The leader of the new Syrian administration stated, on Thursday, in a televised interview, that his first foreign visit would be to Saudi Arabia or Turkey, without specifying a date or timeline for the visit.
In early January, a Syrian delegation consisting of the foreign minister, the defense minister, and the director of Syrian intelligence visited Saudi Arabia and held diplomatic meetings with Saudi officials.
In May 2023, Saudi Arabia allowed the return of Bashar al-Assad’s regime to the Arab League, allowing him to participate in two Arab summits, one in Jeddah and another in Manama, as well as two Islamic Arab summits in Riyadh, prior to the regime’s downfall at the end of 2024.
After the fall of the previous regime, Riyadh expressed its rejection of the Israeli incursion into southern Syria and its support for any measures that would achieve security and stability in Syria while preserving its sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity, while al-Shibani expressed hope that this visit would open a new chapter in relations between the two countries, according to previous statements by the Saudi foreign minister.