Syria's interim foreign minister in the de facto government, Asaad Hassan al-Shibani, announced on 3 January that Saudi Arabia is ready to “participate in the renaissance of Syria and support its unity and territorial integrity.”
The co-founder of Al-Qaeda in Syria said he conveyed to Saudi officials Hayat Tahrir al-Sham's (HTS) “national vision of establishing a government based on partnership and efficiency that includes all Syrian components.”
Shibani and Syria's interim defense minister, Murhaf Abu Qasra, long-time commander of HTS's military wing, met with Saudi Defence Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman in Riyadh on Thursday.
Following the visit, the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) quoted Foreign Minister Prince Faisal Bin Farhan as saying that the kingdom is committed to “Syria's sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity” while emphasizing efforts to “achieve security, stability, and prosperity for the Syrian people.”
Gulf and western nations have rushed to re-establish ties with Syria in the wake of the HTS-led coup that toppled the government of Bashar al-Assad and saw the rise to power of Ahmad al-Sharaa – formerly known as Abu Mohammad al-Julani.
“Our visit to Damascus is a signal from the European Union about the possibility of starting a new political relationship with Syria ... Syrians have the opportunity to take the fate of their country into their own hands again after the end of a painful chapter of Assad's rule,” German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said following a meeting with Sharaa.
The diplomatic whirlwind comes as sectarian violence flares across the newly “liberated” nation. Since the fall of Damascus, extremists allied with HTS have carried out attacks and executions targeting Alawites, as well as vandalism of holy sites, including Churches and Christian cemeteries.
HTS-appointed officials have also implemented sweeping reforms to the previously secular nationwide curriculum, including significant amendments to religious and historical studies – namely, the removal of essential events in Syrian history and the erasure of content about Syria’s historical connection to polytheistic civilizations and empires.
Entire segments of Syrian history will also be scratched, including the period between the end of the Ottoman Empire and Shukri Quwaitli's election as president in 1943. The term “1973 Liberation War,” referring to the 1973 Arab–Israeli war, will be replaced with just “1973 war. " The term “those who have incurred wrath” will be changed to “those who have gone astray from the path of goodness,” specifying Christians and Jews.