Syria’s FM arrives in Saudi Arabia to discuss bilateral relations
QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) – Syrian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates Faisal Mekdad arrived on Wednesday to the city of Jeddah in Saudi Arabia at an invitation of his Saudi counterpart Prince Faisal bin Farhan.
The official Syrian news agency SANA said the delegation came on a working visit to discuss bilateral relations and issues of mutual interest.
Saudi Deputy Foreign Minister Waleed Al-Khuraiji and a number of diplomats received the Syrian Minister and the accompanying delegation at Jeddah Airport.
Earlier in March, Human Rights Watch (HRW) reported that Arab states risk supporting Syrian President Bashar al-Assad without pressing for accountability for the crimes he has committed against his people.
Countries such as Saudi Arabia and Turkey try to normalize ties with Syria, “despite widespread and systematic human rights abuses,” the HRW added.
Recently, reports revealed that Farhan will travel to Damascus to hand al-Assad a formal invitation to attend the summit. Syria was expelled from the Arab League in 2011 over the government’s brutal crackdown against protestors.
Moreover, there are other Gulf states that rush to normalize ties with the Syrian government, including United Arab Emirates (UAE), Oman, and Kuwait.