Saudi foreign minister arrives in Syria for economic talks
Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan arrived in Damascus on Saturday with an economic delegation on a visit to discuss ways to support Syria's war-ravaged economy, authorities said.
On a visit to Riyadh earlier this month, US President Donald Trump said he would lift US sanctions on Syria, a move that paves the way for economic recovery in the war-torn country.
Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani welcomed Prince Faisal, who is 'heading a high-level delegation,' on arrival at Damascus airport, a Syria foreign ministry statement said.
The pair were scheduled to hold a press conference this afternoon.
A Saudi foreign ministry statement said Prince Faisal would meet with President Ahmed al-Sharaa and 'the high-level economic delegation' would hold talks with Syrian officials about ways of cooperating 'that contribute to supporting Syria's economy and strengthen institution building.'
In February, al-Sharaa visited Saudi Arabia in his first trip abroad as president.
Last month, Saudi Arabia and Qatar announced they would settle Syria's debt to the World Bank totaling roughly $15 million.
Damascus is hoping that the lifting of sanctions, particularly by the United States, will pave the way for support from the international community.
Years of war and sanctions have battered the country's economy, infrastructure and industry.
A recent United Nations Development Program report estimated Syria's 'lost GDP' during the 2011-2024 war to be around $800 billion.
Prince Faisal first visited Syria's new authorities in January.
with AFP
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Arab News
3 hours ago
- Arab News
Medical NGO blames new US aid group for deadly Gaza chaos
RAFAH, Palestinian Territories: Medical charity Doctors Without Borders said Sunday that people it treated at a Gaza aid site run by a new US-backed organization reported being 'shot from all sides' by Israeli forces. The NGO, known by its French name MSF, blamed the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation's aid distribution system for chaos at the scene in the southern Gaza town of Rafah. Gaza's civil defense agency said Israeli fire killed 31 Palestinians at the site. Witnesses told AFP the Israeli military had opened fire. The GHF and Israeli authorities denied any such incident took place but MSF and other medics reported treating crowds of locals with gunshot wounds at the Nasser hospital in the nearby town of Khan Younis. 'Patients told MSF they were shot from all sides by drones, helicopters, boats, tanks and Israeli soldiers on the ground,' MSF said in a statement. MSF emergency coordinator Claire Manera in the statement called the GHF's system of aid delivery 'dehumanizing, dangerous and severely ineffective.' 'It has resulted in deaths and injuries of civilians that could have been prevented. Humanitarian aid must be provided only by humanitarian organizations who have the competence and determination to do it safely and effectively.' MSF communications officer Nour Alsaqa in the statement reported hospital corridors filled with patients, mostly men, with 'visible gunshot wounds in their limbs.' MSF quoted one injured man, Mansour Sami Abdi, as describing people fighting over just five pallets of aid. 'They told us to take food — then they fired from every direction,' he said. 'This isn't aid. It's a lie.' The Israeli military said an initial inquiry found its troops 'did not fire at civilians while they were near or within the humanitarian aid distribution site.' A GHF spokesperson said: 'These fake reports have been actively fomented by Hamas,' the Islamic militant group that Israel has vowed to destroy in Gaza.
Asharq Al-Awsat
3 hours ago
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Over 30 Killed Near Aid Site in Gaza, Palestinian Health Authorities Say
More than 30 Palestinians were killed and dozens more injured on Sunday in southern Gaza near a humanitarian aid distribution site run by a US company, according to local health officials. Witnesses said the Israeli military had opened fire as Palestinians gathered to collect food. The military denied it had fired towards civilians and the US company running the facility said it had distributed aid without incident. Reuters could not independently verify what took place. The head of the UN Palestinian refugee agency (UNRWA), Philippe Lazzarini, wrote on X that international medics in Gaza had reported there were "mass casualties including scores of injured & killed among starving civilians due to gunshots". A series of incidents have underscored the insecurity around aid delivery to Gaza, following the easing of an almost three-month Israeli blockade last month. "There are martyrs and injuries. Many injuries. It is a tragic situation in this place. I advise them that nobody goes to aid delivery points. Enough,' paramedic Abu Tareq said at Nasser Hospital in nearby Khan Younis city. The Palestinian Red Crescent Society said paramedics had recovered the bodies of 23 Palestinians and evacuated another 23 injured people from the aid collection site area in Rafah. Local health authorities said at least 31 bodies had so far arrived at Nasser Hospital. The US-based Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, which operates the aid distribution site in Rafah, denied anyone was killed or injured near its site and said that all of its distribution had taken place without incident. It accused Palestinian group Hamas of fabricating "fake reports". The entity released undated footage, which it said showed that aid was distributed at one site without incident. Reuters could not independently verify the footage, which appeared to show dozens of people gathering around piles of boxes. INITIAL INQUIRY Israel's military said in a statement that findings from an initial inquiry indicated soldiers had not fired on civilians while they were near or within the aid distribution site. GHF is a US-based entity backed by the US and Israeli governments that began providing aid in Gaza last month, bypassing traditional aid groups. The group has been widely criticized by the international community, with UN officials saying its aid plans would only foment forced relocation of Palestinians in Gaza and more violence. Residents and medics said Israeli soldiers fired from the ground at a crane nearby that overlooks the area, and a tank had opened fire at thousands of people who were en route to get aid from the site in Rafah. Reuters footage showed ambulance vehicles carrying injured people to Nasser Hospital. The Hamas-run Gaza government media office accused Israel of using aid as a weapon, "employed to exploit starving civilians and forcibly gather them at exposed killing zones, which are managed and monitored by the Israeli military". Israel denies that people in Gaza are starving because of its actions, saying it is facilitating aid deliveries and pointing to its endorsement of the new GHF distribution centers and its consent for other aid trucks to enter Gaza. US President Donald Trump said last month that a lot of people in Gaza were "starving". Israel accuses Hamas of stealing supplies intended for civilians and using them to entrench its hold on Gaza. Hamas denies looting supplies and has executed a number of suspected looters. Reda Abu Jazar said her brother was killed as he waited to collect food near the Rafah aid distribution center. "Let them stop these massacres, stop this genocide. They are killing us," she said, as Palestinian men gathered for funeral prayers. UNRWA's Lazzarini, condemned the deaths, saying in a statement on X that "aid distribution has become a death trap". He said aid distribution should be "only through the United Nations, including UNRWA". The Red Crescent also reported that 14 Palestinians were injured on Sunday near a separate site in central Gaza, also operated by GHF. CEASEFIRE TALKS FALTER Israel and Hamas meanwhile traded blame for the faltering of a new Arab and US mediation bid to secure a temporary ceasefire and the release of Israeli hostages held in Gaza by Hamas, in exchange for Palestinians in Israeli jails. Hamas said on Saturday it was seeking amendments to a US-backed ceasefire proposal, but President Donald Trump's envoy Steve Witkoff rejected the group's response as "totally unacceptable". Egypt and Qatar said they are continuing efforts to converge views and overcome disagreements to reach a ceasefire. Dozens of Palestinians marched on Sunday at the funeral of a Gaza doctor, Hamdi Al-Najjar, who was critically injured in late May in an airstrike that killed all but one of his 10 children. Najjar died late on Saturday. The Israeli military has confirmed it conducted an air strike on Khan Younis that day, but said it was targeting suspects in a structure that was close to Israeli soldiers. The military is looking into claims that "uninvolved civilians" were killed, it said, adding that the military had evacuated civilians from the area before the operation began. Israel began its offensive in Gaza in response to the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, which killed 1,200 people, mostly civilians, according to Israeli tallies, and saw 251 taken as hostages into Gaza. Israel's campaign has devastated much of Gaza, killing more than 54,000 Palestinians and destroying most buildings. Much of the population now lives in shelters in makeshift camps.
Asharq Al-Awsat
5 hours ago
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Saudi Ministry of Interior Warns against Violation of Hajj Regulations
The Saudi Ministry of Interior issued on Sunday a stern warning against violating Hajj regulations by performing or attempting to perform the Hajj without a permit. Individuals caught performing or attempting to perform the Hajj without a permit will face a fine of up to SAR20,000. Resident violators will be deported to their home countries and banned from re-entering the Kingdom for a period of 10 years. The Ministry of Interior urged all citizens and residents to strictly adhere to Hajj regulations, emphasizing that these measures are crucial for maintaining the security and safety of pilgrims, enabling them to perform their rituals with ease and peace of mind.
