![Saudi Arabian Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan Al-Saud in Istanbul, Turkiye on July 14, 2024. [Muhammed Enes Yıldırım - Anadolu Agency]](https://i0.wp.com/www.middleeastmonitor.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/AA-20240714-35139301-35139297-HAKAN_FIDAN_FAISAL_BIN_FARHAN_ALSAUD_JOINT_NEWS_CONFERENCE_IN_ISTANBUL.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1)
Syria’s newly appointed foreign minister said today that his first official visit will be to Saudi Arabia.
Asaad Al-Shaibani said he accepted an invitation from his Saudi counterpart Prince Faisal Bin Farhan to visit the kingdom.
“I am honoured to represent my country on my first official visit [to Saudi Arabia],” he added in a statement on X.
“We look forward to building strategic relations with our brothers in the kingdom in all fields,” he added.
No date has yet been announced for the visit.
Shaibani was appointed foreign minister of Syria on 21 December by the interim Syrian government, becoming the country’s first top diplomat since the downfall of the Bashar Al-Assad regime.
Al-Assad, Syria’s leader for nearly 25 years, fled to Russia after anti-regime groups took control of Damascus on 8 December.