Damascus and Riyadh Establish Official Ties; Syrian Transitional Government’s FM Visits Saudi Arabia

The Syrian delegation was welcomed at Riyadh International Airport by Walid bin Abdulkarim Al-Khuraiji, Saudi Arabia’s deputy foreign minister.

The interview of Abu Muhammad Al-Julani, the leader of Tahrir Al-Sham, with Saudi Arabia’s Al-Arabiya channel—his first with a foreign media outlet since the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s government—along with Asaad Al-Shaybani’s choice of Riyadh for his first foreign visit, highlights the level of relations between the new Syrian rulers and Saudi Arabia.

After severing ties with the Syrian government in 2012, Saudi Arabia became a significant supporter of the militant groups in the Syrian war, providing financial and military support. The first official foreign trip by Al-Julani government officials to Saudi Arabia sends important signals to regional countries.

Saudi Arabia, a strong opponent of the Muslim Brotherhood, designates the group as a terrorist organization. In contrast, Turkey has traditionally supported the Syrian Muslim Brotherhood and its associated militia factions. Al-Julani officials’ visit to Saudi Arabia indicates a strategic move to balance Turkey’s influence in Syria by increasing cooperation and bringing Saudi Arabia into the equation of the new Syria.