“Foreign Minister HH Prince, Faisal Bin Farhan arrives in the Syrian Arab Republic and was received by the Minister of Presidential Affairs of Syria, Mansour Azzam, at Damascus International Airport,” reads a statement from Saudi Arabia’s foreign ministry.
The visit reflects Riyadh’s interest in seeing an end to Syria’s conflict and “to restore Syria to its Arab surroundings, in a way that achieves the good of its brotherly people,” the statement continued.
Farhan was received by Assad and they discussed a political solution for the Syrian crisis, according to a statement from the Saudi foreign ministry.
“The two sides also discussed the necessary steps to achieve a comprehensive political settlement of the Syrian crisis that would end all its repercussions, achieve national security and contribute to the return of Syria to its Arab surroundings and the resumption of its natural role in the Arab world,” read the statement.
Invited by Farhan, Syrian Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad paid a surprise visit to Saudi Arabia last week to discuss bilateral relations and mutual interests. It was Mekdad’s first trip to Riyadh since the outbreak of the Syrian civil war in 2011. In a joint statement, they agreed on the need for the Syrian state to assert its control over all its territories "and end the presence of armed militias."
Much of Syria’s north remains out of Damascus’ reach with Kurds controlling the northeast and Turkey-backed rebels controlling the northwest.
Arab nations broke off relations with Syria over Damascus’ crackdown on protests that grew into a civil war in 2011. Gulf countries and Saudi Arabia in particular supported the rebels while Saudi Arabia’s regional rival Iran backed Assad. However, communication between Damascus and Arabian countries has noticeably increased recently, especially following the devastating earthquake of February 6 that rocked Syria and Turkey.
Arab leaders have discussed but not yet reached a decision on welcoming Syria back to the Arab League.
The thawing of ties is part of a shift in relations across the Middle East. Iran and Saudi Arabia signed a rapprochement deal brokered by China and Iran on Monday formally invited Saudi Arabia’s King Salman for a visit. Their reconciliation has also brought hope of an end to the war in Yemen.
Assad visited the United Arab Emirates and Oman earlier this year and last month Saudi Arabia said it has started talks with Damascus about resuming consular services.
Updated at 5:55 pm
