Syrian interim president Ahmed al-Sharaa has embarked on his first trip abroad since collapsing Bashar al-Assad’s regime in later part of 2024.
Ahmed al-Sharaa, who is previously linked to al-Qaida according to report in the Guardian, has travelled arriving in to Saudi Arabia on Sunday.
The 43-year old made the trip with his government’s foreign minister, Asaad al-Shaibani in Damascus’ attempt to breakaway from Iran as its major regional ally.
The two were spotted in a Saudi plane and with a Saudi flag on a table behind them.
Saudi state television reported that Sharaa was in the capital, Riyadh.
Syria’s new three-star, tricolour flag flew next to Saudi Arabia’s at the airport as Sharaa, in a suit and tie, walked off the plane. He was scheduled to meet the Saudi crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman, the kingdom’s de facto ruler, on the trip.
Saudi Arabia, as one of the Araba nations, sponsored insurgent groups that tried to topple the former president Bashar al-Assad after Syria’s 2011 Arab spring demonstrations turned into a bloody crackdown.
However, Saudi-backed groups found themselves beaten back by Assad who was supported by Iran and Russia, in war in Syria.
Sharaa’s Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS)- group was once affiliated with al-Qaida but has since denounced its former ties, came in later, in particular with its December 2024 master plan, to end Assad’s reign.
Since taking over the country, Sharaa’s government is thought to managed affairs of Syria well despite not in official and international capturing. Some of the areas commended is appointing women in positions and maintaining connections with Syria’s Christian and Shia Alawite populations.
The interim administration has also kept Iran and Russia largely distance from Syria. Iran has yet to reopen its embassy in Damascus, which had been a key node in running operations through its self-described “axis of resistance” that included Assad’s Syria, Lebanon’s Hezbollah militia and other partners. Russia would like to maintain access to air and sea bases it has in Syria, but took in Assad when he fled Syria during the advance.
The moves appear aimed at reassuring the west and trying to get crippling sanctions on Syria lifted. Rebuilding the country after more than a decade of war is likely to cost hundreds of billions of dollars, without mentioning covering the needs of Syria’s people, millions of whom remain impoverished.
The Saudi foreign minister, Prince Faisal bin Farhan, visited Damascus in January and said Riyadh had been “actively engaging in dialogue” to lift sanctions against Syria. Saudi Arabia, unlike Sharaa’s key allies in Turkey and Qatar, restored ties with Assad in 2023 alongside most of the Arab world. Getting sanctions lifted could go a long way in cementing their relationship.
Meanwhile, Syria’s interim government still faces challenges from the Islamic State group and other militants in the country. On Saturday, a car bomb exploded in Manbij, a city in Syria’s Aleppo governorate, killing four civilians and wounding nine, Sana reported, citing civil defence officials.
Turkish-backed Syrian rebels had seized Manbij in December, part of a push by Ankara to secure Syrian territory close to its border for a buffer zone.
As the world is digitally evolving, information grounded in science, truth and experience is very essential for healthy life and human sustainability. By that we are very committed to bringing you the latest untouched and Breaking Ghana, Africa and World news, political, health, entertainment, showbiz, business, lifestyle, culture, education, technology and religion insights on Futball Surgery.
We want you to understand that once you have connected to this network, will be receiving or reading breaking international news, news on Ghana and Africa for your well informed and sustainability.
Every essential Ghana, Africa, International news and insights will be sent to you and your family to be informed of and updated about the world.
