The visit comes as Syria’s new Foreign Minister, Assaad Hassan al-Shibani, meets with GCC officials in Damascus.
Syria’s new Foreign Minister Asaad Hassan al-Shibani announced that he had accepted an invitation from Saudi Arabia’s Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah for his first official visit abroad.
“I am honored to represent my country on my first official visit. [to Saudi Arabia]” Al Shibani said in a post on X on Monday.
“We look forward to building strategic relationships with our brothers in the Kingdom in all fields,” he said. He described the visit as a sign of goodwill and a step toward restoring Syria’s role in the region following the fall of longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad. This month.
Al-Shaibani was appointed foreign minister by Syria’s interim government on December 21, becoming Syria’s first top diplomat since al-Assad was ousted.
Al Shaibani told a news conference with Kuwait’s President Abdullah Al Yahya in the capital Damascus on Monday that his visit to Saudi Arabia was scheduled for “the first week of the new year.”
He also called on Kuwait “with all love and joy” to reopen its embassy in Damascus and resume relations with Syria after the fall of al-Assad.
The visit by Kuwait’s Foreign Minister Al Yahya was the latest in regional leaders and diplomats to signal their openness to establishing ties since al-Assad was ousted by rebels on December 8.
GCC ‘ready to invest in Syria’
Al-Yahya and Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Secretary-General Jassem Mohammed al-Budawi also met with Syria’s de facto leader, Ahmed al-Shara, during the visit. Al-Yahya said they discussed regional development and cooperation.
Al Yahia urged the international community to reconsider sanctions imposed on Syria. He also said Kuwait’s leadership had appealed for urgent aid to be sent to Syria.
“This visit expresses our desire to open a new chapter in regional cooperation. We also appreciate the response of the new Syrian administration to these efforts,” he said.
Sunni Muslim Arab countries boycotted the former Syrian administration after al-Assad enlisted help from Shiites and non-Arabs Iran and Russia to crush the uprising against him. In 2013, the Arab League re-recognized Syria after more than a decade of suspension.
On Monday morning, Al-Shara met with Ukraine’s foreign minister in Damascus and announced a new strategic partnership.
The visit by Ukraine’s top diplomat comes after President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Friday that Ukraine had sent its first food aid to Syria, 500 tons of flour.
Al Jazeera’s Resul Serdar, reporting from Damascus, said “delegations continue to arrive” in Damascus to express support for the new government.
Al-Yahya and Al-Budaiwi “made it clear that they are here not only on behalf of Kuwait, but on behalf of all Gulf countries. They are ready to invest in Syria and welcome Syria back to the Arab world,” he said. ” “Serdar said.
The visit is particularly important because Syria is in dire need of investment in its energy sector, having been largely destroyed by 13 years of civil war, Serdar said.
