Ahmed Al-Shara, the acting president of the Syrian transitional government, visited Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on the 2nd (local time) as his first overseas trip after taking office.
The Saudi state news agency Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported that President Al-Shara met with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. The two were shown shaking hands before holding talks, which were broadcast live on television.
President Al-Shara, who leads the Islamic militant group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), took office as the acting president of the transitional government on the 29th of last month. SPA reported that King Salman and Crown Prince bin Salman were among the first to congratulate President Al-Shara on his inauguration.
By choosing Saudi Arabia as his first overseas visit, President Al-Shara has shown a different stance compared to the previous government of Bashar al-Assad, which had close ties with Iran.
HTS was established as an affiliate group of the extremist militant organization Al-Qaeda but severed ties with Al-Qaeda in 2016. President Al-Shara has demonstrated a pursuit of a normal government by declaring that he does not force women to wear veils after gaining real power in the transitional government system following Assad's overthrow.
The Syrian transitional government is counting on the support of wealthy Gulf Sunni countries to rebuild the war-torn nation and revive the economy. Saudi Arabia is one of the Arab countries that funded Sunni rebel groups aiming to oust the Assad regime during the Syrian civil war.