Saudi Arabia stands by Syria: FM

Prince Faisal in Damascus for first visit since Assad's ousterQ

DAMASCUS:

Saudi Arabia's top diplomat said Friday the kingdom was seeking to help Syria's new authorities secure the lifting of international sanctions, during his first visit to Damascus since Bashar al-Assad's overthrow.

Prince Faisal bin Farhan was received by Syria's interim leader, Ahmed al-Sharaa, who is eyeing investments from wealthy Gulf states to rebuild the war-torn country.

The Saudi diplomat flew to Damascus from Beirut, an AFP correspondent said, following meetings on Thursday with Lebanon's new leadership.

During a press conference Friday with his Syrian counterpart, bin Farhan said Saudi Arabia was standing by Syria, pointing to "the importance of accelerating the lifting and freezing of all sanctions".

He added that Riyadh is engaged in "active dialogue with all relevant countries, whether the United States or the European Union, and we are hearing positive messages".

Washington had already eased sanctions on Syria following Assad's overthrow, with the EU widely expected to follow suit when it addresses the issue at its next foreign ministers' meeting on Monday.

Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani, who was in Riyadh earlier in January, said the lifting of sanctions would allow for "the opening of new channels for investment and trade", as well as rebuilding infrastructure and creating jobs.

The last time bin Farhan was in Damascus, in April 2023, he met Assad in a landmark visit that ended more than a decade of strained relations.

Riyadh was key to the Assad government's return to the Arab League, after severing ties in 2012 over his crackdown on pro-democracy protests that sparked the civil war.

Now, Syria's new leadership is eager for Saudi investment to help rebuild the country's war-shattered infrastructure and boost its economy.

Analysts said Riyadh had hoped to pull Assad away from Iran and encourage him to curb the illicit captagon trade, Syria's biggest export, mostly destined for Gulf countries.

Their effort bore little success.

Production of the amphetamine-like stimulant was rampant in Syria before Assad fled, and the country's new authorities have announced finding multiple factories and warehouses storing tens of millions of pills.

The first foreign visit by the new government was to Saudi Arabia, which has been providing humanitarian aid.

During that visit earlier this month, Shaibani said he hoped to open a "new, bright page", as he headed a delegation that included Defence Minister Murhaf Abu Qasra and intelligence chief Anas Khattab.