RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan and Syrian leader Ahmed Al-Sharaa held talks in Damascus on Friday including the Kingdom's efforts to remove international sanctions from Syria.
Prince Faisal traveled to Syria for his first official visit there since the downfall of Bashar Assad to meet top officials in the new Syrian administration.The talks with Al-Sharaa focused on “supporting Syria's security, stability and unity,” the foreign ministry said.
“The talks also addressed efforts to support Syria's political, humanitarian, and economic aspects, emphasizing the ongoing efforts to lift the sanctions imposed on Syria and provide all forms of assistance and support to Syria during this critical phase to restore stability across its entire territory and revive its national institutions in a manner that aligns with the aspirations and hopes of the Syrian people,” the statement said.
Speaking at a press conference alongside the Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Hassan Al-Shaibani, Prince Faisal said it was important to accelerate the “lifting and freezing of all sanctions."
He said Saudi Arabia was engaged in "active dialogue with all relevant countries, whether the United States or the European Union, and we are hearing positive messages.”
The EU and the US placed an extensive sanctions regime on Syria during the rule of Assad, who was toppled from power by Al-Sharaa’s Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham (HTS) group and its allies in December.
The US said earlier this month that it would ease sanctions on transactions with Syrian government institutions to help the flow of humanitarian assistance.
The EU is reported to be close to agreeing to ease sanctions on certain sectors.
During his meeting with Al-Sharaa, Prince Faisal passed on the greetings of King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
The new Syrian administration chose Saudi Arabia for its first foreign visit when Al-Shaibani led a delegation to Riyadh earlier this month.
The Kingdom has stepped up humanitarian aid supplies to Syria since the start of the year.
Prince Faisal arrived in Syrian after a visit to Lebanon on Thursday, where he met the new President General Joseph Aoun.
