Syria FM says will visit Saudi Arabia in first official trip abroad

Visit comes arsenic Asaad Hassan al-Shibani, Syria’s recently appointed overseas minister, meets GCC officials successful Damascus.

Syria’s caller Foreign Minister Asaad Hassan al-Shibani says helium has accepted an invitation from his Saudi counterpart Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah to visit, successful what would beryllium his archetypal authoritative overseas trip.

“I americium honoured to correspond my state connected my archetypal authoritative sojourn [to Saudi Arabia],” al-Shibani said successful a station connected X connected Monday.

“We look guardant to gathering strategical relations with our brothers successful the kingdom successful each fields,” helium said, describing the sojourn arsenic a motion of goodwill and a measurement towards restoring Syria’s relation successful the portion aft the fall of longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad this month.

Al-Shaibani was appointed overseas curate connected December 21 by Syria’s interim government, becoming the country’s archetypal apical diplomat since al-Assad’s overthrow.

During a quality league with his Kuwaiti counterpart Abdullah al-Yahya successful the capital, Damascus, aboriginal connected Monday, al-Shaibani said his sojourn to Saudi Arabia is scheduled successful the “first week of the caller year”.

He besides called connected Kuwait, “with each emotion and joy” to reopen its embassy successful Damascus and resume relations with Syria pursuing the downfall of al-Assad.

Kuwait’s overseas curate al-Yahya’s sojourn was the latest by determination leaders and diplomats arsenic they awesome an openness to establishing relations successful the aftermath of the overthrow of al-Assad by rebel forces connected December 8.

GCC ‘ready to put successful Syria’

Al-Yahya and Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Secretary-General Jasem Mohamed Al-Budaiwi besides met Syria’s de facto leader, Ahmed al-Sharaa, during their visit. Al-Yahya said they discussed determination developments and cooperation.

Al-Yahya called connected the planetary assemblage to reconsider sanctions imposed connected Syria. He besides said Kuwait’s enactment has appealed for assistance to beryllium sent to Syria urgently.

“The sojourn expresses our keenness connected opening a caller leafage of determination practice … we besides worth the responsiveness of the caller medication successful Syria to these efforts,” helium said.

Sunni Muslim Arab states had boycotted the erstwhile Syrian medication aft al-Assad accepted assistance from Shia and non-Arab Iran and Russia to enactment down the rebellion against him. In 2013, the Arab League readmitted Syria aft much than a decennary of suspension.

Earlier connected Monday, al-Sharaa met Ukraine’s overseas curate successful Damascus and announced a caller strategical partnership.

The sojourn by Ukraine’s apical diplomat came aft President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said connected Friday that his state had sent its archetypal batch of nutrient aid, 500 tonnes of wheat flour, to Syria.

Al Jazeera’s Resul Serdar, reporting from Damascus, said “delegation aft delegation” has been arriving successful Damascus to explicit enactment for the caller administration.

Al-Yahya and Al-Budaiwi were “making it wide that they are present not lone connected behalf of Kuwait, but connected behalf of each the Gulf countries – saying they are acceptable to put successful Syria, and invited Syria backmost to the Arab world,” Serdar said.

The sojourn is peculiarly important due to the fact that “Syria desperately needs investments successful its vigor assemblage due to the fact that it was mostly destroyed by 13 years of civilian war,” Serdar said.

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Al Jazeera and quality agencies