New Syrian FM on first official visit to Saudi Arabia aims for regional reset
On his first official visit to Saudi Arabia since Bashar al-Assad's ouster, Syrian Foreign Minister Assaad al-Shibani said he hoped to open a "new, bright page" in bilateral relations. Syria's new leaders are focused on rebuilding their war-shattered country amid Saudi concerns over the trafficking of captagon, a narcotic produced under the Assad regime in large quantities.
Syria's top diplomat said he hoped to open a "new, bright page" with Saudi Arabia upon arriving in the kingdom Wednesday, the first foreign visit for Syria's new rulers, who seized power last month.
"I have just arrived in the sisterly Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, accompanied by the Minister of Defence Murhaf Abu Qasra and the Head of the General Intelligence Service Anas Khattab," Assaad al-Shibani said in a statement on X.
"Through this first visit in the history of Free Syria, we aspire to open a new, bright page in Syrian-Saudi relations that befits the long shared history between the two countries," he added.
Earlier Wednesday Syrian state media said the top delegation had come to the kingdom "at the invitation of the Saudi foreign minister", quoting a foreign ministry source.
A statement shared by Syria's Foreign ministry said Saudi Arabia's Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Waleed bin Abdulkarim El-Khereiji had received the delegation at the international airport in Riyadh.
The statement was accompanied by photos of him and Shibani shaking hands and other pictures of Saudi officials sitting down with the delegation.
(AFP)
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