Syria
Syrian leader Ahmed al-Sharaa (right) and Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani (left) on board a private jet en route to Riyadh on February 2, 2025. Photo: Sharaa's office
prev
next
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Syrian leader Ahmed al-Sharaa is heading to Saudi Arabia on Sunday in his first official visit where he will meet with top Saudi officials, according to his office.
“President Ahmed al-Sharaa and Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani will meet in the Saudi capital Riyadh with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman,” said a statement from Sharaa’s office.
Sharaa was named Syria’s interim president on Wednesday, over a month after a coalition led by his Islamist Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) overthrew Bashar al-Assad’s regime and ended decades of Baathist rule.
Saudi Arabia’s King Salman and the crown prince both congratulated Sharaa on his new role.
The kingdom has also been providing humanitarian aid to Syria.
In late January, Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan visited Damascus and said in a presser with Shaibani that the kingdom is seeking to help war-ravaged Syria lift international sanctions.
Last month, Shaibani visited the Saudi capital on his first trip abroad as top diplomat, calling it a “new and bright page” in Damascus-Riyadh relations.
Saudi Arabia restored diplomatic ties with Assad’s Syria last year and supported its return to the Arab League, 11 years after Riyadh severed ties with Damascus and backed Syrian rebels during the onset of the country’s brutal civil war.
“President Ahmed al-Sharaa and Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani will meet in the Saudi capital Riyadh with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman,” said a statement from Sharaa’s office.
Sharaa was named Syria’s interim president on Wednesday, over a month after a coalition led by his Islamist Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) overthrew Bashar al-Assad’s regime and ended decades of Baathist rule.
Saudi Arabia’s King Salman and the crown prince both congratulated Sharaa on his new role.
The kingdom has also been providing humanitarian aid to Syria.
In late January, Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan visited Damascus and said in a presser with Shaibani that the kingdom is seeking to help war-ravaged Syria lift international sanctions.
Last month, Shaibani visited the Saudi capital on his first trip abroad as top diplomat, calling it a “new and bright page” in Damascus-Riyadh relations.
Saudi Arabia restored diplomatic ties with Assad’s Syria last year and supported its return to the Arab League, 11 years after Riyadh severed ties with Damascus and backed Syrian rebels during the onset of the country’s brutal civil war.
Comments
Rudaw moderates all comments submitted on our website. We welcome comments which are relevant to the article and encourage further discussion about the issues that matter to you. We also welcome constructive criticism about Rudaw.
To be approved for publication, however, your comments must meet our community guidelines.
We will not tolerate the following: profanity, threats, personal attacks, vulgarity, abuse (such as sexism, racism, homophobia or xenophobia), or commercial or personal promotion.
Comments that do not meet our guidelines will be rejected. Comments are not edited – they are either approved or rejected.
Post a comment