Syrian President attends AL Summit for first time in 12 years

Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad arrived in Saudi Arabia on May 18 to attend the Arab League (AL) Summit, marking the leader's first visit to the oil-rich kingdom since the outbreak of the conflict in Syria in 2011.

Mr. Assad will attend the AL Summit in the port city of Jeddah.

The 22-member alliance recently agreed to restore Syria's membership in the Arab League and officially invited Assad to attend the conference opening on May 19.

The conference is expected to discuss the process of normalizing relations and the conditions for Syria's return to the bloc.

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad (right) during talks with Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan in Damascus, April 18, 2023. (Photo: AFP/VNA)

In the Syrian civil war, Saudi Arabia has been a major backer of armed opposition groups trying to overthrow President Assad.

However, in recent months Riyadh has been pushing to normalize relations with Iran while calling for dialogue to end the conflict in Syria and gradually restore relations with Damascus.

On May 5, Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi told the media that Syria had received enough votes in the AL, which has 22 member states, to be able to return to this organization.

The AL suspended Syria's membership after conflict broke out in the Middle Eastern country in 2011.

Recently, a number of Arab countries, including Saudi Arabia and Egypt, have made moves to resume relations with Syria through high-level visits and meetings.

However, some countries, including Qatar, remain opposed to full normalization of relations with Syria without a political solution to the conflict in the country.

Saudi Arabia has previously opposed restoring relations with President al-Assad's government.

However, after recently resuming relations with Iran - Syria's key regional ally, Saudi Arabia believes the Arab world needs a new approach towards Damascus.

(Source: vietnamplus)

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Source: https://vtc.vn/tong-thong-syria-lan-dau-du-hoi-nghi-thuong-dinh-al-sau-12-nam-ar783741.html