Go to comes as Asaad Hassan al-Shibani, Syria’s newly appointed international minister, meets GCC officers in Damascus.
Syria’s new International Minister Asaad Hassan al-Shibani says he has accepted an invite from his Saudi counterpart Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah to go to, in what can be his first official international journey.
“I’m honoured to symbolize my nation on my first official go to [to Saudi Arabia],” al-Shibani mentioned in a submit on X on Monday.
“We sit up for constructing strategic relations with our brothers within the kingdom in all fields,” he mentioned, describing the go to as a gesture of goodwill and a step in the direction of restoring Syria’s position within the area after the fall of longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad this month.
Al-Shaibani was appointed international minister on December 21 by Syria’s interim authorities, turning into the nation’s first prime diplomat since al-Assad’s overthrow.
Throughout a information convention together with his Kuwaiti counterpart Abdullah al-Yahya within the capital, Damascus, afterward Monday, al-Shaibani mentioned his go to to Saudi Arabia is scheduled within the “first week of the brand new yr”.
He additionally known as on Kuwait, “with all love and pleasure” to reopen its embassy in Damascus and resume relations with Syria following the downfall of al-Assad.
Kuwait’s international minister al-Yahya’s go to was the most recent by regional leaders and diplomats as they sign an openness to establishing relations within the wake of the overthrow of al-Assad by insurgent forces on December 8.
GCC ‘able to put money into Syria’
Al-Yahya and Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Secretary-Normal Jasem Mohamed Al-Budaiwi additionally met Syria’s de facto chief, Ahmed al-Sharaa, throughout their go to. Al-Yahya mentioned they mentioned regional developments and cooperation.
Al-Yahya known as on the worldwide group to rethink sanctions imposed on Syria. He additionally mentioned Kuwait’s management has appealed for support to be despatched to Syria urgently.
“The go to expresses our keenness on opening a brand new web page of regional cooperation … we additionally worth the responsiveness of the brand new administration in Syria to those efforts,” he mentioned.
Sunni Muslim Arab states had boycotted the previous Syrian administration after al-Assad accepted assist from Shia and non-Arab Iran and Russia to place down the insurrection in opposition to him. In 2013, the Arab League readmitted Syria after greater than a decade of suspension.
Earlier on Monday, al-Sharaa met Ukraine’s international minister in Damascus and introduced a brand new strategic partnership.
The go to by Ukraine’s top diplomat got here after President Volodymyr Zelenskyy mentioned on Friday that his nation had despatched its first batch of meals support, 500 tonnes of wheat flour, to Syria.
Al Jazeera’s Resul Serdar, reporting from Damascus, mentioned “delegation after delegation” has been arriving in Damascus to precise assist for the brand new administration.
Al-Yahya and Al-Budaiwi had been “making it clear that they’re right here not solely on behalf of Kuwait, however on behalf of all of the Gulf international locations – saying they’re able to put money into Syria, and welcome Syria again to the Arab world,” Serdar mentioned.
The go to is especially vital as a result of “Syria desperately wants investments in its vitality sector as a result of it was largely destroyed by 13 years of civil battle,” Serdar mentioned.
