The trip was new interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa first abroad [Photo by Bandar Algaloud / Saudi Royal Court / Handout/Anadolu via Getty Images]
Syria’s interim president Ahmed al-Sharaa met Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Saudi Arabia on Sunday for his first international visit since the toppling of Bashar al-Assad, state media reported.
Following the meeting Sharaa said Saudi Arabia was committed to supporting the war-torn country, saying in a statement on Telegram that “we held a long meeting during which we felt and heard a genuine desire to support Syria in building its future.”
The presidency earlier posted a picture on X of Sharaa and his foreign minister aboard what appeared to be a private jet with the caption “President Sharaa and Asaad al-Shaibani travel to Saudi Arabia, first official visit”.
Sharaa, whose Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham led the overthrow of Assad in December, was named interim president on Wednesday.
Saudi Arabia’s King Salman and his son, the country’s facto ruler Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, were among the first to congratulate Sharaa on his official appointment.
The Syrian authorities are counting on wealthy Gulf countries to finance the reconstruction of their war-ravaged nation and revive its economy.
On Thursday, Damascus received Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, who “stressed the urgent need to form a government representing all spectrums” of Syrian society in order “to consolidate stability and move forward with reconstruction, development and prosperity projects”.
According to Damascus, the two sides discussed reconstruction.
The new Syrian authorities have received a steady stream of diplomatic visitors since toppling Assad in December, with Shaibani conducting several foreign visits that most recently saw him participate in the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.
