Syria joins anti-ISIS coalition meeting in Riyadh for first time
QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) – Political directors of the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS convened on Monday in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, with Syria participating for the first time since officially joining the alliance last year.
Syria formally became a member of the US-led coalition in November, more than a decade after the alliance was established in 2014 to combat the Islamic State group across Iraq and Syria.
The meeting is chaired by Saudi Deputy Foreign Minister Waleed al-Khuraiji and attended by Tom Barrack, the envoy of US President Donald Trump and the United States ambassador to Turkey.
Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani is taking part in the coalition’s political directors’ meeting for the first time, alongside representatives from several member states. On the sidelines of the gathering, al-Shaibani met with the US special envoy to Syria, Tom Barrack, according to official statements.