JEDDAH: Arab leaders, including Syria’s President Bashar Al-Assad are arriving in Jeddah ahead of the significant Arab League Summit that will be hosted by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) on Friday. According to Saudi Gazette, President Bashar Al-Assad landed in Jeddah on Thursday to attend the 32nd Arab Summit.
Arab Leaders, Including Syrian President, Arrive in Saudi Arabia to attend Arab League Summit
Upon arrival at King Abdulaziz International Airport in port city, Assad was received by Prince Badr bin Sultan, Deputy Governor of Makkah Region. Assad’s trip was in response to an invitation from Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman to participate in the Arab League meeting.
This was the first trip of Syrian President to Saudi Arabia in 12-year. The 32nd summit of the Arab League differs from earlier summits as it is the first to be attended by Syria after its membership was suspended in 2011.
In a statement on its social media account, the Syrian Presidency said on Thursday that President Bashar Al-Assad is heading to Jeddah to attend the Arab league summit. While confirming President Assad’s participation in the Arab League summit, Abdel Qader Azouz, advisor to the Syrian President, highlighted the significance of the Arab role in resolving the Syrian conflict. He stressed that Syria has always been one of the nations that are most keen to attend meetings of the Arab League.
The advisor also spoke regarding the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s role in bringing Syria back to the Arab fold, saying that Damascus views with great satisfaction the efforts made by Saudi Arabia to restore its position and restore its activities in the Arab League and also in supporting stability through the Riyadh-Tehran agreement.
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi was the first Arab leader to arrive, followed by Prime Minister of Lebanon Najib Mikati, Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas, King of Bahrain Hamad, and Rashad Al-Alimi, the President of Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council.
After landing in the port city of Jeddah, Bahrain’s King Hamad said the summit is a good opportunity for leaders to exchange opinions, consult, and increase joint coordination to support Arab action. King Hamad thanked King Salman for inviting Bahrain to the summit and lauded the ties between their nations.
The leaders were received by Prince Badr bin Sultan bin Abdulaziz, the deputy governor of Makkah region.
