
This handout picture released by the Syrian Arab News Agency SANA shows Syria's new leader Ahmed al-Sharaa (center R) speaking with Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan, before their meeting in Damascus. AFP
Syrian authorities have said Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan is set to meet in Damascus with Islamist leader Ahmed al-Sharaa, who is eyeing investments from wealthy Gulf states to rebuild the war-torn country.
The Saudi diplomat flew to Damascus from Beirut, an AFP correspondent said, following meetings on Thursday with Lebanon's new leaders after more than a decade of strained ties over Hezbollah's influence.
The last time bin Farhan was in Damascus, in April 2023, he met Assad in a landmark visit that ended more than a decade of strained relations.
Riyadh was key to returning Assad's government to the Arab League, after severing ties in 2012 over his crackdown on anti-government protests that sparked civil war.
Now, Syria's new leadership is eager for Saudi investment to help rebuild the country's war-shattered infrastructure and boost its economy.
Analysts said Riyadh had hoped to pull Assad away from Iran and encourage him to curb the illicit captagon trade, Syria's biggest export, mostly destined for Gulf countries.
Their effort bore little success.
The amphetamine-like stimulant was rampant in Syria until Assad fled, with new authorities regularly announcing they found factories and warehouses storing tens of millions of pills.
'Large role in Syria's future'
Earlier this month, bin Farhan called for lifting sanctions on Damascus after meetings with top diplomats from the Middle East and Europe on Syria.
The Islamist authorities' first foreign visit since seizing power was to Saudi Arabia, which has been sending humanitarian aid to the country.
Syria's top diplomat Assad al-Shaibani said he hoped to open a "new, bright page" during the visit, heading a delegation that included Defence Minister Murhaf Abu Qasra and Intelligence Chief Anas Khattab.
Last month, Sharaa told Saudi-owned Al Arabiya TV that Riyadh "will certainly have a large role in Syria's future", pointing to "a big investment opportunity for all neighbouring countries".
He also told the broadcaster that he was born in Saudi Arabia, where his father worked at the time, and that he lived the first few years of his life there.
Also in December, a Saudi delegation met Sharaa in Damascus, a source close to the Saudi government told AFP at the time.
Sharaa heads the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) Islamist group that led the militant offensive that toppled Assad.
HTS has its roots in the former branch of Al-Qaeda in Syria, but it broke ties with the jihadist group in 2016 and has sought to soften its image.
*This story was edited by Ahram Online.
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