Saudi foreign minister makes first official visit to Syria in more than a decade

Saudi Arabia’s top diplomat arrives in the Syrian capital, the first official visit by an official from the kingdom in more than a decade, the Syrian government says.

The visit by Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan to Damascus follows that of his Syrian counterpart, Faisal Mikdad, to Riyadh last week. Syrian state news agency SANA reports that after his arrival, the Saudi top diplomat was received by Syrian President Bashar Assad.

A statement published by Saudi state media says that bin Farhan’s visit came “within the framework of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s keenness and interest to reach a political solution to the Syrian crisis that would end all its repercussions and preserve Syria’s unity, security, stability, and Arab identity and restore it to its Arab surroundings.”

The kingdom cut off diplomatic relations with Damascus in 2012, after the outbreak of Syria’s civil war. Syria and Saudi Arabia said last week they were moving toward restoring consular services and resuming flights between the two countries.

Syria was widely shunned by Arab governments over Assad’s brutal crackdown on protesters in a 2011 uprising that descended into civil war. The breakdown in relations culminated with Syria being ousted from the Arab League.