Syria Leader Ahmed Al Sharaa Meets Saudi Crown Prince On First International Visit

Syria's interim president Ahmed Al Sharaa met with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Sunday during his first trip abroad since taking power.

Accompanied by his foreign minister, Asaad al-Shaibani, Al Sharaa was greeted by Saudi officials on arrival in Riyadh, images from state television outlet Al-Ekhbariya showed.

The official Saudi news agency SPA later reported that Sharaa was received by Prince Mohammed, but details of their discussions were not immediately disclosed.

Sharaa, whose group led the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad in December, was named Syria's interim president on Wednesday.

Saudi Arabia's King Salman and his son Prince Mohammed were among the first to congratulate him on his official appointment.

The Syrian authorities are counting on Gulf countries to finance the reconstruction of their war-ravaged nation and revive its economy.

In late December, Sharaa stated in an interview with the Saudi channel Al-Arabiya that the kingdom would "certainly play an important role" in Syria's future, highlighting a "great opportunity for investment".

He told the channel he was born in Saudi Arabia, where his father worked, and that he had spent the first seven years of his life in the Gulf state.

Rabha Seif Allam, a regional expert at the Al-Ahram Center for Political and Strategic Studies in Cairo, said Riyadh was "playing a key role in reintegrating the new Syria into the Arab world and onto the international stage".

Syria is also pressing for the lifting of international sanctions that have dragged down its economy.

The sanctions date back to 1979, when the United States labelled Syria a "state sponsor of terrorism", but they were ramped up significantly by Washington and other Western powers when Assad cracked down on anti-government protests in 2011 and sparked the civil war.

Saudi Arabia's foreign minister visited Damascus last month and promised to help secure an end to the restrictions.

Prince Faisal bin Farhan said during his visit that Riyadh was engaged in "active dialogue with all relevant countries, whether the United States or the European Union, and we are hearing positive messages".

The new Syrian authorities have received a steady stream of diplomatic visitors since Assad was toppled.

On Thursday, Damascus received Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, who "stressed the urgent need to form a government representing all spectrums" of Syrian society in order "to consolidate stability and move forward with reconstruction, development and prosperity projects".

ALSO READ:

Qatar's Emir becomes first head of state to visit Damascus since Assad's fall

UAE leaders congratulate Ahmed Al Sharaa on becoming Syria's interim president

MENAFN01062025000049011007ID1109622377