Saudi foreign minister visits Syria for 1st time in 12 years

By Mohamed Misto

ISTANBUL (AA) – Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan arrived in Damascus on Tuesday, for the first such visit to Syria in 12 years.

The visit was reported by the Saudi-funded Al-Arabiya television, which comes a few days after Syrian Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad visited Saudi Arabia for the first time in more than a decade.

During the visit, both Riyadh and Damascus agreed to resume consular services and flights between them.

Riyadh withdrew its ambassador from Damascus in 2011 and severed diplomatic ties with the Bashar al-Assad regime, following its deadly crackdown on pro-democracy protests.

The Syrian regime, however, began to exchange official visits and contacts with several Arab countries in recent months amid reports about a possible resumption of Syria’s membership in the Cairo-based Arab League.

*Writing by Mahmoud Barakat