Syria's interim president Ahmed al-Sharaa on Sunday travelled to Saudi Arabia for his first international visit since the toppling of the Bashar al-Assad regime-- a move signalling Damascus' likely shift away from Iran as its main regional ally.
Accompanied by his foreign minister Asaad al-Shaiban, Sharaa, who was once aligned with al-Qaida, arrived in Riyadh on a jet, likely provided by the kingdom. He was greeted by Saudi officials as he disembarked, images from Saudi's state broadcaster Al-Ekhbariya showed.
Sharaa, first known internationally by the nom de guerre Abu Mohammed al-Golani, is expected to meet with de facto Saudi ruler Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the broadcaster reported but did not specify when.
The Syrian presidency had earlier posted a picture on X of Sharaa and Shaibani aboard what appeared to be a private jet on their way to Saudi Arabia, calling it a "first official visit".
Sharaa, whose Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) led the rebellion that overthrew Assad in December, was named interim president on Wednesday. Saudi Arabia's King Salman and his son Prince Mohammed were among the first to congratulate him on his official appointment.
A Move Away From Iran & Russia?
Rebuilding Syria after over a decade of war will likely cost hundreds of billions of dollars, and Sharaa's government is counting on wealthy Gulf countries to finance the reconstruction of their war-ravaged nation and revive its economy.
Earlier in January, Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan visited Damascus and said Riyadh has been "actively engaging in dialogue" to lift sanctions on Syria.
Damascus also received Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani On Thursday, who "stressed the urgent need to form a government representing all spectrums" of Syrian society in order "to consolidate stability and move forward with reconstruction, development and prosperity projects".
Syria has also been carefully managing its public image since the toppling of the Asaad regime. The new interim government has been seen appointing women to leadership roles and trying to maintain ties to Syria's Christian and Shiite Alawite populations.
It has also largely been maintaining distance from Iran and Russia, two Asaad allies who had been helping him with the bloody crackdown of rebellions for decades.
Iran, whose self-described "Axis of Resistance" included Assad's Syria, Lebanon's Hezbollah militia and other partners, is yet to reopen its embassy in Damascus. Meanwhile, Russia, which took in Assad when he fled Syria during the advance, is also facing trouble in maintaining access to air and sea bases it has in Syria.
By keeping Moscow and Tehran at arm's length, Syria seems to be reassuring the West and trying to get crippling sanctions on it lifted.
