The foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia and Syria on Wednesday welcomed a revival of bilateral relations, including steps to restore consular services and flights, and agreed to cooperate in fighting drug smuggling and facilitating Syria’s return to the Arab fold.
Syrian Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad landed in the Saudi Red Sea city of Jeddah on Wednesday in the first visit by a senior Syrian diplomat to the kingdom in more than a decade, a major sign that Syria’s regional isolation is coming to an end.
Gulf heavyweight Saudi Arabia severed ties with Damascus amid Syrian President Bashar Assad’s brutal crackdown on peaceful protests in 2011 and backed rebel groups fighting to oust Assad. Syria was also suspended from the Arab League.
The restoration of Saudi-Syrian ties represents the most significant development in the Arab states’ steps to normalize relations with Assad. It comes weeks after Mekdad met with top diplomats from Egypt and Jordan, also for the first time in more than a decade.
Saudi Arabia and Syria territories
Assad, with the help of his main allies Iran and Russia, has regained control of much of Syria, and Saudi Arabia has said its isolation is not working. In a joint statement at the end of Wednesday’s visit, both sides agreed on the need for the Syrian state to assert its control over all its territories “and end the presence of armed militias.”
The two ministers also discussed the steps needed for a political settlement of the Syrian crisis, which contributes to Syria’s “return to its Arab environment”, and said they would strengthen cooperation in the fight against drug trafficking.
Among others, the US and European nations have accused the Assad family of playing a leading role in the billion-dollar illicit trade in captagon, an amphetamine they say is produced in Syria and helps fund the Syrian government.
Much of it is believed to be sold to buyers in the Arab countries of the Persian Gulf, including Saudi Arabia. Assad’s government denies involvement in drug production and smuggling and says it is fighting to curb the lucrative trade.
Mekdad’s trip to Jeddah comes two days before Saudi Arabia hosts another meeting of regional foreign ministers to discuss Syria’s return to the Arab League. Saudi Arabia plans to invite Assad to an Arab League summit to be hosted by Riyadh on May 19, a move that would formally end its regional isolation, although it is unclear whether there is Arab consensus on the matter. Syria and Tunisia said on Wednesday that they had also agreed to reopen their respective embassies.
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