Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has met with Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan in the most significant step yet towards thawing ties between Syria and Arab countries.
Bin Farhan landed in Damascus on Tuesday, Syrian state media reported, a week after his Syrian counterpart visited Saudi Arabia.
The visit is the first by a Saudi official to Damascus since the start of the Syrian war in 2011.
The Saudi foreign ministry said in an online statement that the visit showed the kingdom’s desire to find a political solution to Syria’s conflict that would preserve the country’s “Arab identity, and return it to its Arab surroundings”.
The trip comes less than a week after Syrian Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad visited Saudi Arabia, also on the first such visit since the conflict began.
Last week, diplomats from nine Arab countries met in the Saudi city of Jeddah to discuss ending Syria’s possible return to the 22-member Arab League after Damascus was suspended in 2011.
The diplomats stressed the “importance of having an Arab leadership role in efforts to end the crisis” in Syria, according to a statement by the Saudi foreign ministry.
Source: Agencies
