A high-level Syrian delegation, led by newly appointed Foreign Minister Asaad Hassan al-Shibani arrived in Riyadh on Wednesday in its first official visit abroad.
Less than a month after the Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham overthrew the regime of Bashar al-Assad on December 8, ‘Free Syria’ Foreign Minister Asaad Hassan al-Shibani arrived in Riyadh on Wednesday. Al-Shibani was welcomed to King Khalid International Airport by Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Waleed El-Khereiji. Al-Shibani was joined on the delegation by the new Syrian administration’s Minister of Defense, Murhaf Abu Qasra, and Intelligence, Chief Anas Khattab.
Al-Shibani had previously announced that he had received an invitation from his Saudi counterpart, Prince Faisal bin Farhan, to visit Saudi Arabia, making it his first official foreign visit.
“I have just arrived in the sisterly Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, accompanied by the Minister of Defence Murhaf Abu Qasra and the Head of the General Intelligence Service Anas Khattab. Through this first visit in the history of Free Syria, we aspire to open a new, bright page in Syrian-Saudi relations that befits the long shared history between the two countries.”
Previously, in an interview with Al Arabiya television, Sharaa said Saudi Arabia “will certainly have a large role in Syria’s future”, pointing to “a big investment opportunity for all neighbouring countries”.
In December, a Saudi delegation met Syria’s new leader Ahmed al-Sharaa in Damascus.
Saudi Arabia severed ties with Bashir Assad’s government in 2012 and backed Syrian rebels seeking to overthrow him early in the country’s civil war. But last year, Riyadh restored ties with Assad’s government and assisted Syria’s return to the Arab League.
A major topic of concern for Saudi Arabia is the production and distribution of Captagon, an addictive drug that has infiltrated Saudi Arabia and the Gulf states, in particular. Under the Assad regime, Captagon was Syria’s most valuable export under Assad, turning the country into one of the world’s leading narco states.
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