As al-Assad begins to come in with the cold, visit the most recent sign of a move towards the rebuilding of relationships between Saudi Arabia and Syria.
Foreign Minister of Syria, Faisal Mekdad, recently landed in Saudi Arabia to begin a visit there. This comes at a time when connections are growing between Riyadh and Damascus, and it is becoming increasingly possible that relations will be restored between both Arab countries.
According to state-run news outlets in both Saudi Arabia and Syria, Mekdad landed on Wednesday in Jeddah after receiving an invitation to do so from the Saudi Minister of foreign affairs, Prince Faisal bin Farhan.
According to a statement released by the Saudi Arabian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, The two parties are planning to meet for a discussion session to discuss ongoing attempts to find a political resolution to the Syrian problem that will maintain Syria’s stability, security, and unity.
According to the statement, they will also talk about how to make it easier for Syrian refugees to get back to their homes and how to ensure that humanitarian aid can reach the areas of Syria that are currently in crisis.
This trip marks the first time that a Syrian minister of foreign affairs has traveled to Saudi Arabia following the start of the civil war in Syria in early 2011.
Although Saudi Arabia was a supporter of the opposition in Syria in the past, relations between the two countries have improved in recent months.
With assistance from Iran and Russia, President Bashar al-Assad of Syria has effectively crushed the country’s opposition.
Since the beginning of the Syrian civil war, al-Assad has been cut off from the outside world, but over the past several months, observers have noticed an increase in engagement with him.
This year, Al-Assad traveled to the United Arab Emirates and Oman, and just last month, Saudi Arabia announced that it had begun discussions with Damascus about restarting consular services.
In the meantime, Saudi Arabia will play host to a gathering of regional ministers of foreign affairs on Friday in order to debate Syria’s readmission to the Arab League.
Following indications of a probable thawing in relations between the two countries, Saudi state media stated the previous month that Riyadh and Damascus were in talks to restart the provision of consular services to one another.
