Syrian FM makes first visit to Saudi Arabia since 2011

BREAKBREAK,

Visit the latest sign of a move towards restoring relations between Syria and Saudi Arabia as Assad comes out of the cold.

Syrian Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad has arrived for a visit to Saudi Arabia as ties between Damascus and Riyadh grow and a recovery of relations between the two Arab countries becomes increasingly likely.

Mekdad arrived in Jeddah on Wednesday at the invitation of Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan, both Saudi and Syrian state media reported.

The visit is the first by a Syrian foreign minister to Saudi Arabia since 2011, when the war in Syria began.

Saudi Arabia supported the Syrian opposition, but ties have thawed in recent months.

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has largely defeated the opposition with Russian and Iranian support.

Saudi Arabia is hosting a meeting of regional foreign ministers on Friday to discuss Syria’s return to the Arab League.

More to follow.