Syria’s President al-Sharaa meets Saudi Arabia’s MBS in first foreign trip

Syria's interim government's new president, Ahmed Shala, made his first official visit to Saudi Arabia earlier this week after assuming office, where he met with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS). Photos released by the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) showed that upon arriving at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, Shala was first greeted by Prince Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Abdulaziz, the Deputy Governor of the Riyadh region, and subsequently held talks with Saudi Arabia's de facto leader, Mohammed bin Salman.

During the talks in Riyadh, Shala was accompanied by Syrian Foreign Minister Assad Shaibani. Following the meeting, Shala stated that his meeting with Mohammed bin Salman demonstrated Saudi Arabia's "sincere desire to support the building of Syria's future." He added that the discussions in Riyadh covered cooperation plans in the fields of energy, technology, education, and health.

Al Jazeera's Osama bin Javaid stated that Shala's choice of Riyadh as his first destination was to "ensure that Saudi Arabia understands and recognizes the importance that this new Syria places on it." The Syrian opposition led by Shala overthrew the long-ruling President Bashar al-Assad's regime on December 8th. Since then, the new Syrian government has been seeking regional and international legitimacy and the lifting of damaging Western sanctions against Syria.

However, despite the new Syrian leadership's emphasis on regional integration and the protection of religious and ethnic minorities, concerns about Shala's past membership in al-Qaeda have undermined support for him. Last week, Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan stated during a visit to Damascus that Saudi Arabia is actively engaged in dialogue with Europe and the United States to help lift economic sanctions imposed on Syria.

Bin Javaid noted that Shala's visit aims to remind Saudi officials of this commitment and to secure as much assistance as possible for rebuilding Syria's infrastructure, government, and institutions. Furthermore, the visit to Riyadh symbolizes a "major shift" for Syria, moving away from the ousted President Bashar al-Assad's allegiance to Iran and Russia and establishing future relationships. Last month, in an interview with Al Arabiya, Shala stated that Saudi Arabia "will definitely play an important role in the future of Syria," noting that "this is a huge investment opportunity for all neighboring countries."

Shala's visit comes after Syrian Foreign Minister Shaibani also visited Riyadh last month. Meanwhile, the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, visited Damascus on Thursday, becoming the first Arab leader to visit the country since Assad's overthrow.