Saudi King invites Syrian president to Arab League summit in Jeddah
- 10 May 2023
Saudi Arabia has invited Syrian President Bashar Assad to the upcoming Arab League summit in the kingdom, the Syrian president's office said on Wednesday.
Assad received an invitation from Saudi King Salman "to participate in the thirty-second Arab League summit, which will be held in Jeddah on May 19", the Syrian presidency said in a statement.
Assad said the summit "will enhance joint Arab action to achieve the aspirations of the Arab peoples," the statement added.
Saudi Arabia's ambassador to Jordan, Nayef Bin Bandar Al Sudairi, delivered the invitation.
Assad’s office published photos of Saudi Arabia’s ambassador to Jordan delivering the invitation. It was not made clear whether Assad will attend the summit.The news comes as Damascus continues to slowly return to the Arab fold, following a 12-year-period of political isolation.
Assad received the invitation days after the Arab League restored Syria's membership into the organisation during a meeting in Cairo on Sunday.
The last Arab League summit Assad attended was in 2010 in Libya.
Syria's membership was suspended after mass protests against Assad in 2011.
Agencies