Steven Sahiounie, journalist and political commentator
Syria’s interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa made his first foreign visit to Saudi Arabia, which was the same choice Donald Trump made in 2016.
On February 2, Sharaa was received at King Khaled International Airport by His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Abdulaziz, Deputy Governor of Riyadh Region.
Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shibani accompanied him on the landmark visit to the oil-rich kingdom. Shibani had traveled to Riyadh last month to lay the groundwork for renewed Syrian-Saudi ties.
Sharaa met with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Riyadh, where both leaders discussed the current situation in Syria and ways to improve its security and stability.
The new Syrian administration aims to restore international relationships following 14 years of political isolation under the Assad regime. Syria expects Saudi Arabia to be instrumental in lobbying the US and EU to lift sanctions on Syria now that the dictator is gone, the leadership is in a transitional phase, and the Assad-sponsored drug smuggling is over.
Prince Faisal bin Farhan, Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister, visited Damascus last month and promised to help secure an end to the sanctions while saying that Riyadh was engaged in “active dialogue with all relevant countries, whether the United States or the European Union, and we are hearing positive messages”.
Sharaa said Saudi Arabia had a “genuine desire” to support his war-torn country, after meeting on Sunday with the Saudi Crown Prince.
“We held a long meeting during which we felt and heard a genuine desire to support Syria in building its future,” Sharaa said in a statement on Telegram.
Syrian authorities are looking to the oil-rich Gulf countries to finance the reconstruction of their war-ravaged nation and revive its economy.
In late December, Sharaa said in an interview with the Saudi channel Al-Arabiya that the kingdom would “certainly play an important role” in Syria’s future, highlighting a “great opportunity for investment”.
On January 22, Shibani said Syria would open its economy to foreign investment while speaking at the World Economic Forum meeting in Davos, Switzerland.
“Syria’s economic resources are diverse and we have a lot of sectors – industry, tourism… of course, the economy in the future will be open and will open the road for foreign investment,” said Shibani.
Shibani visited Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Qatar in early January, during which he laid the foundation of Syria-Gulf cooperation and shared interests.
UN Syria envoy Geir Pedersen reiterated calls for ending the international sanctions imposed on Syria to repair and restore the lives and future of the Syrian people.
Sharaa assumed power as transitional president on January 29 after former regime leader Bashar al-Assad fled to Moscow on December 8.
Saudi King Salman and his son Crown Prince Mohammed were among the first to congratulate Sharaa on his official appointment.
Sharaa was born in Saudi Arabia, where his father worked, and spent the first seven years of his life there before the family returned to their native Damascus.
Iran was a major loser in the Israeli-Hamas war, the Israeli-Hezbollah war, and the ouster of the Assad regime in Damascus. Under the Sharaa administration, Iran is excluded from the political stage and its regional influence has hit its lowest point. Although Saudi Arabia and Iran ended a seven-year diplomatic freeze in 2023, and their normalization is holding well, distancing Tehran from Damascus was a strategic goal for both Washington and Riyadh.
Iran spent an estimated $30–50 billion (almost €29 billion to €48 billion) in Syria to ensure the Assad regime’s stability over the last thirteen years.
Russia seeks to participate in the reconstruction of Syria, while it hopes to retain two vital military bases on the Mediterranean Sea, a naval port at Tartus and an airfield near Latakia, which had enabled Moscow to project influence in the Middle East and Africa, and their loss would be a significant strategic setback.
On January 29, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov and Alexander Lavrentyev, Russian special envoy on Syria, met for three hours with Sharaa and Shaibani in Damascus.
Syria’s new leadership urged Moscow to “address past mistakes” during the talks and covered “justice for the victims of the brutal war waged by al-Assad’s regime.”
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov declined to comment on reports that Sharaa had requested Assad’s extradition to Syria. Moscow was one of Assad’s key supporters, intervening in Syria’s civil war in 2015 in his favor.
In December, Sharaa recalled the “deep strategic interests between Russia and Syria” in an interview with Al Arabiya.
“All Syria’s arms are of Russian origin, and many power plants are managed by Russian experts… We do not want Russia to leave Syria in the way that some wish,” he said at the time, leaving the door slightly open to Moscow.
On January 30, Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani while visiting Damascus “stressed the urgent need to form a government representing all spectrums” of Syrian society in order “to consolidate stability and move forward with reconstruction, development and prosperity projects”.
Qatar has pledged to initially supply Syria with 200 megawatts of electricity and gradually increase the amount, the Gulf country’s prime minister said during the visit to Damascus.
The Sharaa administration is new and unproven and the world is watching its first steps at governance. In less than two months, Syria’s state institutions are functioning. The schools and universities are in session. The public hospitals are still functioning, and are almost free of charge, although medicines must be paid privately by patients. The police and fire departments are back to work, as are the garbage collectors and city municipal offices.
If the sanctions are lifted, then foreign countries and businesses can start sending money into Syria. Construction contractors can begin ordering cement, wood, and all the other materials needed to rebuild homes lost in the Civil War. Once the sanctions are lifted, Syrian refugees can begin coming home to look for jobs created by the new investments in infrastructure and tourism sectors. Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan, and Europe will all benefit by lessening their financial and social strain from supporting about 12 million Syrian refugees. Brighter days may be ahead for Syria if the US and EU can lift the sanctions.
Steven Sahiounie is a two-time award-winning journalist.
©️ Steven Sahiounie 2025
