Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister, Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al-Saud, is expected to visit Damascus on Friday to meet with the top officials from Syria’s new administration. A Syrian official made the announcement on Thursday.
This is the prince’s second visit to Damascus in less than a year. He last visited in April 2023, where he met with former President Bashar al-Assad, a key part of Saudi Arabia’s efforts to reintegrate Syria into the regional fold after years of diplomatic isolation. Following that summit, Saudi Arabia invited Assad to attend the Arab League summit in Riyadh, signifying a turning point in the regional relations between the two following Syria’s suspension from the organization in 2011 after the violent response Assad had towards the anti-government protests.
Arab countries have long complained that Syria plays an important role in the production and trade of captagon, a potent amphetamine widely used in the Gulf. Yet this has not restrained the region’s diplomatic approach toward Syria, with Saudi-Syrian dialogue being resumed recently.
The Syrian government is currently running on a caretaker administration following the overthrow of Assad’s regime by rebel forces in December, although the country remains politically fragile. This visit forms part of Saudi Arabia’s continued efforts to rebuild its diplomatic and economic relationships across the region.
