Click to see full-size image. Source: the Syrian Presidency Office.
On May 18, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad arrived in the Saudi city of Jeddah to attend the Arab League summit the next day.
Foreign ministers from Arab League member states agreed earlier this month to reinstate Syria’s membership in the organization after its suspension more than a decade ago. Saudi Arabia, which once backed attempts to overthrow al-Aassad, played a leading role in the efforts to readmit the country.
Al-Assad was welcomed at King Abdulaziz International Airport by Prince Badr bin Sultan bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Deputy Governor of Makkah Region, Ahmed Aboul Gheit, Secretary General of the Arab League, Saleh bin Ali Al-Turki, Secretary of Jeddah Governorate, Minister Salman bin Hazza Al-Mutairi, Head of the Mission of Honor, and Major General Saleh Awad Al-Jabri, Director of Police Makkah Region.
Syrian pro-government newspaper al-Watan said that al-Assad will likely meet “a number of leaders in bilateral meetings” during the two day visit to Saudi Arabia.
The visit marks al-Assad’s official return to the Arab fold. The last Arab League summit the Syrian president attended was in 2010 in Libya.
The war in Syria is one of the main issues Arab leaders set to discuss during the Jeddah summit. The war on drugs, the refugee crisis and the political settlement will reportedly be the key points of the talks with al-Assad.
Al-Assad’s visit to Saudi Arabia and his presence in the Arab League summit are large blows to Western policies that aim to isolate and strangle Syria. The visit will further de-escalate tensions in the Middle East, pushing forward the diplomatic approach Saudi Arabia and Iran initiated after restoring relations earlier this year.
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