A delegation led by newly appointed Syrian Foreign Minister Asa’ad Hassan al-Shibani arrived Wednesday for talks in Riyadh following an invitation from Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud.
Al-Shibani graduated from Damascus University in 2009 with a degree in English Language and Literature from the Faculty of Arts and Humanities. He earned a master’s degree in Political Science and International Relations from Istanbul Sabahattin Zaim University in 2022, plus a PhD in the same field in 2024, and is completing the final stage of an MBA program from an American university.
“We look forward to building strategic relations with our brothers in the Kingdom across all fields,” al-Shibani said in a post on X.
The delegation included Syria’s new Defense Minister Murhaf Abu Qasra – formerly the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) military chief — and the government’s new head of intelligence, Anas Hasan Khattab.
Saudi Deputy Foreign Minister Walid al-Khuraiji welcomed the Syrian delegation, according to the Saudi Al Arabiya news outlet.
The new intelligence chief has maintained close ties with Turkey’s National Intelligence Organization (MIT) since serving as chief of Al-Qaeda operations in Syria, according to the Nordic Monitor news outlet.
The trip represents the new Syrian government’s first official visit outside the country, Syria’s state-run SANA news agency reported.
A Saudi delegation met about two weeks ago in Damascus with Syria’s new leader – formerly HTS head – Ahmed al-Shara’a (Abu Mohammad al-Julani).
Al-Shara’a has previously made clear overtures to Riyadh, saying Saudi Arabia and Syria look forward to a “shared vision” of economic development cooperation and other ties.
Speaking in a Dec. 29, 2024 interview with Al Arabiya, al-Sha’ara also confirmed that his government is in talks with the US-backed Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) to eventually integrate the organization into the national armed forces.
Dismissing concerns over Turkish moves to carve out and annex territory in northern Syria, al-Sha’ara said “There will be no division of Syria in any way.
He also praised Riyadh, saying, “Saudi Arabia has a major role in Syria’s future, and I take pride in everything it has done for us.”
Al-Sha’ara was born in Riyadh and lived in the city until the age of seven.
