Saudi foreign minister meets Syrian President Assad in Damascus
Arrival of Saudi FM Prince Faisal bin Farhan is the first for a top Saudi official since the start of Syria’s war.Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has met with Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud in the most significant step yet towards ending Syria’s decade-long regional isolation.
Prince Faisal landed in Damascus on Tuesday, Syrian state media reported, a week after his Syrian counterpart visited Saudi Arabia.
The visit is the first by a Saudi official to Syria’s capital since the start of the country’s civil war in 2011.
Saudi Arabia severed ties with al-Assad’s government in 2012 and Riyadh had long openly championed al-Assad’s ouster, backing Syrian rebels in earlier stages of the war. Several other Arab countries also cut ties with Syria as some powers bet on al-Assad’s demise.
But regional capitals have gradually been warming to al-Assad as he has clawed back most of the territory lost to rivals, with crucial backing from Russia and Iran. The United Arab Emirates, which re-established ties in late 2018, has been leading the charge to reintegrate Damascus into the Arab fold.
Saudi foreign minister meets Syria’s Assad in Damascus
Arrival of Saudi FM Prince Faisal bin Farhan is the first for a top Saudi official since start of Syria’s war.
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