Syria’s Ahmed al-Sharaa to visit Saudi Arabia on Sunday

Ahmed al-Sharaa, the de facto leader of Syria who was appointed as president of the transitional government earlier this week, is set to travel to Saudi Arabia for his first official visit since taking office. According to Syrian sources who spoke to Al Jazeera on Saturday, Sharaa will stay in Saudi Arabia for two days and is expected to discuss strengthening relations between the two countries.

Sharaa's appointment came after opposition forces launched an offensive against Bashar al-Assad in December of last year, bringing an end to his rule. As president, Sharaa is also authorized to form a temporary legislative council for the transitional period, which will perform duties until a new constitution is adopted. Saudi Arabia's King Salman bin Abdulaziz and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman sent congratulations to Sharaa upon his appointment as president and wished him success.

Last month, in an interview with Al Arabiya, Sharaa stated that Saudi Arabia "will certainly play an important role in the future of Syria," noting that "this is a huge investment opportunity for all neighboring countries." Last week, Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan visited Damascus and pledged to help lift international sanctions imposed during Assad's rule.

Prince Faisal added at a press conference after his meeting with Sharaa that Riyadh is in "active dialogue with all relevant countries, whether it is the United States or the European Union, and we have heard positive messages." Syrian Foreign Minister Assad Shaibani also traveled to Riyadh last month.