Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman (MBS) welcomes Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa in Riyadh on Feb. 2, 2025. (Photo: AFP)
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman (MBS) received a phone call on Tuesday from Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa, during which the two leaders discussed, among other things, prospects for strengthening bilateral cooperation.
During the conversation, they reviewed ways to boost cooperation between their countries in the fields of economic development and investment, as well as regional developments and several issues of mutual interest, according to the official Syrian agency Sana.
A previous phone call had already taken place between the Syrian and Saudi leaders on Dec. 9, the day after the first anniversary of the fall of former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
On that occasion, MBS congratulated his counterpart, reaffirming Saudi Arabia's support for the reconstruction and development process, and praised the progress made by the Syrian people in strengthening stability.
Riyadh has multiplied its gestures of openness toward the new Syrian leaders and has actively advocated for lifting U.S. sanctions. The U.S. Congress approved the permanent lifting of these sanctions in mid-December, with the repeal of a so-called "Caesar" law, adopted during the rule of the former regime.
This decision paves the way for the return of investments into a country ravaged by more than a decade of civil war. The law had effectively banned the country from the international banking system and foreign currency transactions.
U.S. President Donald Trump was responding to requests from Saudi Arabia and Turkey, allies of the new Syrian government.
At the end of July, Riyadh pledged $6.4 billion in investments and partnerships with Syria to help rehabilitate devastated infrastructure and joined with Qatar to settle $15 million in Syrian debts to the World Bank.
It also committed to rebuilding schools and hospitals, clearing rubble, and supplying Syria with 1.65 million barrels of crude oil.
