Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman welcomes Syria's interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa during their meeting in Riyadh on Feb. 2, 2025. (Credit: AFP)
The handshake was unprecedented. In front of the cameras, the new Syrian leader Ahmad al-Sharaa was greeted by the Saudi Crown Prince and de facto ruler Mohammed bin Salman (MBS). They are both of the same generation and have the same warm look and smile, promising new perspectives in the regional landscape. Sharaa laid the foundations for the new Syria, by opting for a meeting with MBS on his first official foreign trip since the fall of Bashar al-Assad. This is the first official visit a Syrian president has made to Saudi Arabia since September 2009, at the direct invitation of the kingdom, unlike the ousted president’s last visits which were made as part of the League of Arab States’ summits. Since taking power on Dec. 8, 2024, the leader of the radical Islamist Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham group (HTS) — now interim president — reiterated...
The handshake was unprecedented. In front of the cameras, the new Syrian leader Ahmad al-Sharaa was greeted by the Saudi Crown Prince and de facto ruler Mohammed bin Salman (MBS). They are both of the same generation and have the same warm look and smile, promising new perspectives in the regional landscape. Sharaa laid the foundations for the new Syria, by opting for a meeting with MBS on his first official foreign trip since the fall of Bashar al-Assad. This is the first official visit a Syrian president has made to Saudi Arabia since September 2009, at the direct invitation of the kingdom, unlike the ousted president’s last visits which were made as part of the League of Arab States’ summits. Since taking power on Dec. 8, 2024, the leader of the radical Islamist Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham group (HTS) — now interim president —...