Syria’s new leader meets Saudi crown prince
Syrian interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa has met with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, his first foreign trip since taking power. The two leaders met on Sunday.
Upon his arrival in Riyadh, Saudi officials welcomed Sharaa, who was accompanied by Foreign Minister Asad al-Shaibani, in footage broadcast by state television channel Al-Ikhbariya. The Saudi state news agency SPA later said that Prince Mohammed had welcomed Sharaa, but details of their discussions were not immediately available.
Ahmed al-Sharaa was appointed interim president after the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad in December. Saudi King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed congratulated him immediately after his formal appointment.
Syria’s new administration is counting on help from wealthy Gulf states to rebuild the war-torn country and revive its economy.
In an interview last December, Shara said Saudi Arabia would definitely play a key role in Syria’s future and that there was “huge potential” for investment in the country. He added that he was born in Saudi Arabia, where his father worked, and spent the first seven years of his life in the oil-rich Gulf state.
“Riyadh is playing a key role in reintegrating the new Syrian administration into the Arab world and the international community,” said Rabha Saif Allam, a regional analyst at Egypt’s Al-Ahram Center for Political and Strategic Studies. Saudi Arabia, the Arab world’s largest economy, would directly benefit from Syria’s stability, she said.
“Iran’s influence in Syria is now almost zero, which has weakened the country’s regional position,” she added. In addition, drug smuggling from Syria to the Gulf, which had long been a source of instability, is now a thing of the past.
He said that removing Damascus from Tehran’s influence was a “strategic advantage” for Riyadh.
Although Saudi Arabia and Iran restored ties in 2023, ending a seven-year diplomatic severance, they remain at odds over a number of geopolitical issues, including the Syrian civil war, in which they have supported opposing sides.
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