Syria’s FM to visit Saudi Arabia on first foreign trip as Sharaa praises Riyadh

BEIRUT — Syria’s Foreign Minister Asaad Hassan al-Shibani announced on Monday that he received an invitation to visit Saudi Arabia, marking his first official trip abroad since assuming office on Dec. 21.

Shibani, who was appointed foreign minister in the new administration that took over following the ouster of President Bashar al-Assad on Dec. 8, wrote on his official X account that he accepted “with all love and pleasure” the invitation extended by Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah to visit the kingdom.

“I am honored to represent my country on my first official visit. We look forward to building strategic relations with our brothers in the kingdom in all fields,” Shibani said.

The Saudi government has not commented on the visit yet. 

Why it matters: Shibani’s announcement comes one day after Syria’s de facto leader, Ahmed al-Sharaa — who also heads Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, which led the lightning-fast offensive that toppled Assad earlier this month — praised Saudi Arabia's support for Syria.

In a wide-ranging interview with the Saudi-owned Al-Arabiya channel on Sunday, Sharaa stated that Saudi Arabia seeks stability in Syria and highlighted several investment opportunities in the country, though he did not provide further details.

“I am proud of everything that Saudi Arabia has done for Syria, and it has a major role in the country’s future,” he said.

The Syrian leader also spoke about his childhood in Saudi Arabia, saying he was born in Riyadh and lived there until the age of 7. He expressed hope to visit the kingdom soon.

Sharaa lauded recent Saudi statements as “very positive" and said the toppling of Assad is a slap to Iran that should be seen as welcome by the Arab Gulf states. 

A high-ranking Saudi delegation, led by a royal court adviser, visited Damascus and met with Sharaa on Dec. 22. No details of the meeting were made public. According to a source close to the Saudi government who spoke to Agence France-Presse last week, the talks focused on the situation in Syria and the Captagon drug file.

The trade of the amphetamine-type drug Captagon evolved into a multibillion-dollar industry under the former Syria regime. Produced in Syria, Captagon is frequently transported through Jordan to Gulf countries, including Saudi Arabia.

On Dec. 8, hours after the fall of Assad was announced, the Saudi Foreign Ministry issued a statement expressing its satisfaction with the “positive steps taken to ensure the safety of the Syrian people.”

The kingdom further stressed its “unwavering support” for the Syrian people during what it described as a “critical juncture in the country’s history.”

Know more: Saudi Arabia cut diplomatic ties with Syria in 2012 due to the Assad regime's brutal crackdown on peaceful protests that began in 2011 and escalated into a civil war. The kingdom had backed the rebels against government forces throughout the war in Syria.

As Assad regained control of much of Syria's territory in recent years, Saudi Arabia and other regional countries, including the United Arab Emirates, renewed their ties with his government.

In May 2023, after the Arab League reinstated Syria’s membership, Riyadh agreed to restore ties with Damascus. In May of this year, it appointed its first ambassador to Syria in more than a decade.

On Monday, Qatar sent its first direct aid flight to Damascus International Airport, delivering humanitarian aid and technical assistance.