The Saudi crown prince is the second Gulf leader to meet Sharaa since the latter was declared president for a transitional phase last week.
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In this photo provided by the Saudi Ministry of Media, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman greets Syria’s interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa, left, during his arrival at the royal palace in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Sunday, Feb. 2, 2025. (Saudi Ministry of Media via AP)
Syria’s transitional President Ahmed al-Sharaa met Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Riyadh on Sunday in his first foreign trip as Syrian leader, Saudi state news agency SPA reported.
Live TV footage showed Sharaa shaking hands with the crown prince in the Saudi capital before sitting down for talks.
The state-run Saudi Press Agency described their discussions as examining ways to “support the security and stability of sisterly Syria.” Syria’s state-run SANA news agency quoted al-Sharaa as saying they “worked on raising the level of communication and cooperation in all areas, especially those humanitarian and economic.”
Saudi Arabia had been among the Arab nations that poured money into insurgent groups that tried to topple President Bashar Assad after Syria’s 2011 Arab Spring protests turned into a bloody crackdown. However, its groups found themselves beaten back as Assad, supported by Iran and Russia, fought the war into a stalemate in Syria.
That changed with the December lightning offensive led by al-Sharaa’s Hayat Tahrir al-Sham. The group was once affiliated with al-Qaida but has since denounced its former ties.
Al-Sharaa and HTS have c