UPDATE - Syrian foreign minister makes 1st visit to Egypt since 2011

UPDATES WITH DETAILS, CHANGES HEADLINE

By Ibrahim al-Khazen

ISTANBUL (AA) - Syrian Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad arrived in Cairo on Saturday, for the first such visit to Egypt in more than a decade.

Mekdad was welcomed by his Egyptian counterpart Sameh Shoukry and the two ministers held a one-on-one meeting, Egypt’s Foreign Ministry said on Twitter, without providing any further details.

Egyptian media reported that talks between the two chief diplomats will tackle issues of mutual concern.

Syrian state news agency SANA said Mekdad will hold talks in Cairo on bilateral relations and regional and international developments.

Mekdad’s visit is the first to Egypt since Syria’s membership in the Cairo-based Arab League was suspended in November 2011 following the regime’s brutal crackdown on pro-democracy protests.

The top diplomats of Egypt and Syria met in September 2021 in New York on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly meetings.

Shoukry had visited Damascus on Feb. 27 following the deadly earthquakes that rocked Syria and Türkiye and Syria on Feb. 6, killing thousands.

The Syrian regime exchanged official visits with several Arab countries in recent years amid reports about a possible resumption of Syria’s membership in the Arab League.

*Writing by Ahmed Asmar in Ankara