Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shibani, who arrived in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday evening for the first official foreign visit of the new government in Damascus, expressed his hope that the visit would open “a new and bright page in bilateral relations”.

Al-Shibani wrote on his account on the X platform: I have just arrived in the brotherly Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, accompanied by Defence Minister Marhaf Abu Qusra and General Intelligence Chief Anas Khattab. Through this first visit in the history of Free Syria, we aim to open a new and bright page in Syrian-Saudi relations, worthy of the long shared history between the two countries.

This is Minister Al-Shibani’s first visit since the formation of the transitional government in his country following the fall of the Bashar al-Assad regime.