A Syrian delegation visits Saudi Arabia on its first foreign trip since the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad

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A high-level Syrian delegation headed by Foreign Minister Asaad Al-Shaibani arrived in Riyadh on its first official foreign trip since the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad by rebels last month.

The official Saudi Press Agency reported that the group, which includes Defense Minister Murhaf Abu Qasra and Intelligence Chief Anas Khattab, was received at Riyadh Airport late on Wednesday by Saudi Deputy Foreign Minister Walid Al-Khuraiji, according to the official Saudi Press Agency.

Al-Shaibani said in his statements to Channel

Kingdom of Saudi Arabia It has welcomed Assad on several occasions over the past two years, as it began to re-engage with the dictator for the first time since the outbreak of civil war in Syria in 2011. But the kingdom and other Gulf states moved quickly to embrace the new authorities. It is controlled by the Islamic group Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham, after it took control of Damascus on December 8.

Arab countries are concerned about further conflict and political instability in the region in the wake of the devastating attack Wars in Gaza and Lebanon, while the Gulf states are also keen to stop the smuggling of Captagon and other illicit drugs coming from Syria.

The visit comes, based on an official invitation from the Kingdom, at a time when the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia sent three planes loaded with humanitarian aid to Yemen. SyriaIncluding food, shelter and medical supplies.

Kuwaiti Foreign Minister Abdullah Al-Yahya and Secretary-General of the Gulf Cooperation Council Jassem Al-Budaiwi met on Monday with the de facto ruler of Syria, Ahmed Al-Sharaa.

Yahya called on the international community to reconsider the sanctions imposed on Syria, adding that the Gulf states are working urgently to send more aid to Syria.

The visit “demonstrates our commitment to opening a new page of constructive regional cooperation… We also appreciate the response of the new administration in Syria to these efforts,” Yahya said during a press conference in Damascus.

Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham has been designated a terrorist organization by the United States, the United Nations and others, although Washington and other Western capitals have taken tentative steps to engage with the new rulers.

Qatar, which has previously resisted efforts to rehabilitate the Assad regime and bring it back into the Arab fold, also sent a high-level delegation to Syria last week.

New Syrian leader Al-Sharaa, who previously used the nom de guerre Abu Muhammad al-Julani, told the Saudi-owned Al Arabiya news channel in an interview last week that Saudi Arabia “will certainly have a big role in Syria’s future.”

He added that there is a “great investment opportunity” as the country seeks to rebuild its economy after more than a decade of devastating civil war.

In the same interview, he gave the first indication of a possible timeline for the country’s political transition, saying it would take up to three years to draft a new constitution and up to four years to hold its first elections.