RIYADH: Syria's transitional President Ahmed al-Sharaa met Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Riyadh on Sunday in his first foreign trip as Syrian leader, Saudi state news agency SPA reported. Live TV footage showed Sharaa shaking hands with the crown prince in the Saudi capital before sitting down for talks.
The Saudi foreign minister visited Damascus on Jan. 24 and said the kingdom was engaged in talks with Europe and the U.S. to help lift economic sanctions imposed on Syria that had decimated its economy.
Arab countries have historically been concerned about Syria's production and trade of captagon, an amphetamine-like drug used in the oil-producing Gulf states by party-goers and labourers alike.
The Saudi crown prince is the second Gulf leader to meet Sharaa since the latter was declared president for a transitional phase last week. Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani met Sharaa in Damascus on Thursday. — Reuters
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