AMMAN — Syrian Foreign Minister Faisal
Mekdad arrived for a visit to Saudi Arabia Wednesday, as ties between Damascus
and Riyadh grow, and a restoration of relations between the two Arab countries
becomes increasingly likely, Al Jazeera reported.
اضافة اعلان
Mekdad arrived in Jeddah after having been
invited by the Saudi foreign minister, Prince Faisal bin Farhan, both Saudi and
Syrian state media reported.
‘Efforts to reach a political solution’ to
Syrian crisis
The two will “hold a session of talks on
efforts to reach a political solution to the Syrian crisis that preserves the
unity, security and stability of Syria”, the Saudi foreign ministry said in a
statement.
They will also discuss “facilitating the
return of Syrian refugees to their homeland, and securing humanitarian access
to the affected areas in Syria”, the statement added.
The visit is the first by a Syrian foreign
minister to Saudi Arabia since 2011, when the war in Syria began. Saudi Arabia
supported the Syrian opposition, but ties have thawed in recent months,
according to Al Jazeera.
Syria’s President Bashar Al-Assad has
largely defeated the opposition with Russian and Iranian backing.
Increasing engagementOver the past few months, there has been
increasing engagement with Assad, who has been isolated since the start of the
Syrian war.
Assad has visited the UAE and Oman this
year, and last month Saudi Arabia said it has started talks with Damascus about
resuming consular services.
Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia will host a meeting
of regional foreign ministers on Friday to discuss the return of Syria to the
Arab League.
Saudi state media reported last month that
discussions were being held between Damascus and Riyadh to resume consular
services, after media reports emerged of a possible
restoration of ties.
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