Syria's President Al Shara meets Saudi Crown Prince in Riyadh for second time in weeks

Show caption: Syrian President Ahmad Al Shara arrives in the Saudi capital…

Damascus earlier said it was negotiating to join Makkah defence agreement

The National

November 04, 2026

• Syrian President Ahmad Al Shara arrived in Riyadh on Wednesday with a high-level delegation, including foreign, defence, finance and industry ministers.
• Mr Al Shara will meet Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to discuss bilateral issues and sign agreements across various sectors.
• Wednesday's visit is his second trip to Saudi Arabia in weeks, following an October 6 meeting that covered bilateral relations and regional developments.
• Saudi Arabia has emerged as a major investor in Syria since Mr Al Shara took power in 2024, following the ousting of former president Bashar Al Assad.
• Syria is in negotiations to join the Makkah defence pact, with Foreign Minister Asaad Al Shibani saying Damascus considers "security in the Gulf as part of its own".

Syrian ​President ⁠Ahmad Al Shara arrived in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, on Wednesday with a high-level delegation, his country's state media reported.

The delegation includes the foreign, defence, finance and industry ministers, as well as the head of the General Intelligence Directorate, Sana news agency said.

Mr Al Shara will meet with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman "to discuss a number of bilateral issues, in addition to signing several agreements across various sectors", Sana said.

Wednesday’s visit is Mr Al Shara’s second trip to Saudi Arabia in weeks. He visited Riyadh on October 6 and met Prince Mohammed.

The two had discussed bilateral relations and “promising opportunities for developing these relations in various fields”, as well as the latest regional developments.

The latest visit comes after Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Al Shibani said last week that Damascus considered security in the Gulf as part of its own and was holding negotiations on joining the Makkah defence agreement.

Speaking at the Manama Dialogue in Bahrain, Mr Al Shibani said there had been “some negotiations” on integration into the pact, adding that Syria would stand by any organisation that protects regional security, whether or not it joins the agreement. He also stressed the need for co-operation on deterrence and defence.

The pact was signed in August between Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkey and views an attack on one of them as an attack on all.

Saudi Arabia has faced repeated drone and missile attacks by Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis in recent weeks, targeting airports, oil facilities and military sites.

Mr Al Shara also visited Saudi Arabia in April, meeting Prince Mohammed in Jeddah. Their talks covered regional developments, efforts to strengthen bilateral relations, economic and investment ties, and “regional connectivity projects”.

Saudi Arabia has emerged as a major investor in Syria since Mr Al Shara took power in 2024, following a rebel offensive that ousted former president Bashar Al Assad.

Updated:

November 04, 2026, 1:40 PM