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A high-level Syrian delegation led by foreign minister Asaad al-Shaibani has arrived in Riyadh on his first official foreign visit since Bashar al-Assad was ousted by rebels last month.
The group, which includes defense minister Murhaf Abu Qasra and intelligence chief Anas Khattab, was received at Riyadh airport on Wednesday by deputy foreign minister Waleed Elkhereiji, according to the official Saudi Press Agency.
“With this first visit in the history of free Syria, we wish to open a new and bright page in the relationship between Syria and Saudi Arabia, which is worthy of the shared history between the two countries,” Shaibani told X.
Saudi Arabia he had welcomed Assad several times in the past two years as he began to re-engage with the dictator for the first time since the Syrian civil war in 2011. The Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, after taking over Damascus on December 8.
Arab countries are concerned about further conflict and political instability in the region following the disaster wars in Gaza and Lebanon, while the Gulf States are interested in reducing the smuggling of Captagon and other illegal drugs from Syria.
The visit, following an official invitation from the kingdom, comes as Saudi Arabia is sending three humanitarian aid flights to Syria, including food, shelter and medical supplies.
Kuwait's foreign minister Abdullah al-Yahya and Jasem al-Budaiwi, secretary general of the Gulf Cooperation Council, on Monday met with the Syrian governor Ahmed al-Sharaa.
Yahya asked the international community to reconsider the sanctions imposed on Syria, adding that the Gulf countries are working quickly to send more aid to Syria.
This visit “shows our commitment to opening a new page of constructive regional cooperation . . . and we appreciate the response of the new regime in Syria to these efforts”, said Yahya at a press conference in Damascus.
HTS is designated as a terrorist organization by the US, the UN and others, although Washington and other western capitals have taken steps to try to engage with the new regime.
Qatar, which has been resisting efforts to rehabilitate the Assad regime and return it to the Arab fold, also sent a high-level delegation to Syria last week.
Syria's new leader Sharaa, who previously used the nom de guerre Abu Mohammad al-Jolani, told the Saudi-owned Al Arabiya news channel in an interview last week that Saudi Arabia “will definitely play a big role in the future of Syria”.
He added that there is a “huge investment opportunity” as the country seeks to revive its economy after more than a decade of devastating civil war.
In this interview, he gave the first indication of the possible time frame for the country's political transition, saying it will take up to three years to draft a new constitution and four years to hold the first election.