Syria’s newly appointed interim president, Ahmed al-Shara, arrived in Saudi Arabia on Sunday for his first overseas journey since his insurgent coalition ousted the longtime dictator Bashar al-Assad.
Mr. al-Shara landed on the airport in Riyadh, the Saudi capital, early Sunday afternoon. The brand new flag of Syria flew alongside the Saudi flag on the airport. Mr. al-Shara later met with the oil-rich kingdom’s crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman, in accordance with Syrian and Saudi state information media. The 2 leaders have been anticipated to debate strengthening relations and how one can garner assist for the lifting of worldwide sanctions imposed on Syria, in accordance with Saudi information studies.
The selection of Saudi Arabia for Mr. al-Shara’s first journey overseas was seen as a mirrored image of Syria’s shifting political alignments underneath the nation’s new management: away from Iran, which was a key ally to the Assad regime, and towards the Gulf.
The journey follows a flurry of diplomatic conferences in Syria’s capital, Damascus, in current weeks. Because the insurgent coalition seized energy in December, diplomats from Europe, the US, the Gulf and Russia have flocked to Damascus to fulfill with Mr. al-Shara and to ascertain contacts together with his authorities.
The outcomes of these diplomatic overtures will assist form the brand new political map of Syria and the facility dynamics throughout the Center East, a area that’s being remade within the wake of Israel’s wars in Gaza and Lebanon and the collapse of the Assad authorities.
Iran has had its affect throughout the area sharply diminished by Israel’s wars, which have focused Tehran’s proxies. Russia is confronting a critical problem to its army technique within the Center East and Mediterranean after dropping its primary ally within the area, Mr. al-Assad. And Turkey, which backed the rebels, has emerged as a number one drive in Syria.
Whereas initially cautious in regards to the Islamist factions that seized energy in Syria in December, the Gulf states have since elevated their engagement and assist for Mr. al-Shara and his interim authorities. Early on, they urged Syria’s new leaders to show inclusivity and tolerance for the nation’s numerous sects.
On Thursday, Qatar’s emir met with Mr. al-Shara in Damascus, marking the primary go to to the Syrian capital by a Gulf head of state because the insurgent coalition seized management. The go to underscored the curiosity of highly effective Gulf Sunni rulers in shaping a post-Assad Syria underneath Mr. al-Shara’s management.
For Saudi Arabia, current occasions have introduced a important opening to reassert affect in each Syria and Lebanon, two international locations the place the dominion had as soon as vied for sway and largely misplaced out to Iran over the previous decade.
Saudi Arabia has been projecting assist for Syria’s new authorities and calling for the elimination of Western and European sanctions imposed on Mr. al-Assad’s authorities. Following Mr. al-Shara’s appointment as interim president final week, Saudi Arabia’s king and crown prince each despatched congratulatory messages to Mr. al-Shara, wishing him success in main Syria.
Mr. al-Shara has additionally signaled the significance of the connection, giving his first unique Arab media interview in December to the Saudi-owned Al Arabiya broadcaster relatively than Al Jazeera of Qatar, which he has appeared on a number of instances over the previous decade.
“Saudi Arabia has a serious function in Syria’s future, and I take pleasure in every thing it has achieved for us,” he advised Al Arabiya, recalling his childhood years spent in Riyadh earlier than his household returned to Syria.
For many years, Syria was Iran’s closest Arab ally within the Center East and a key participant within the competitors for regional affect between Tehran and Gulf monarchies.
After Syria’s civil struggle started in 2011, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have been staunch opponents of Mr. al-Assad. Each international locations closed their embassies in Syria in 2012 amid the brutal crackdown on dissidents by Mr. al-Assad, who grew to become a pariah within the area.
However after a decade of struggle, Gulf attitudes appeared to shift as Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates sought to deliver Mr. al-Assad again into the Arab fold — a transfer no less than partly pushed by a need to curb Iran’s rising affect within the area on the time.
In early 2023, Saudi Arabia provided humanitarian support to the Assad regime after a devastating earthquake struck Turkey and Syria. Later that 12 months, Syria was readmitted to the Arab League after a decade of isolation.
However with the overthrow of Mr. al-Assad, Iran has been sidelined in Syria — and Saudi Arabia seems to have seized the chance to attempt to set up its affect with Damascus.
