Saudi Crown Prince Salman welcomes Assad back to Arab League
- 19 May 2023
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman welcomed Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad back to the Arab League on Friday, over a decade after the war-torn country was suspended from the bloc.
"We are pleased today by the attendance of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in this summit," Prince Mohammed said in a speech, adding he hoped the return would lead to "stability" in Syria.
Assad landed in Jeddah on Thursday for the gathering, his first since 2011.
Before the opening ceremony Friday afternoon, he started what was expected to be a series of bilateral meetings, sitting down with Tunisia's president and the vice president of the UAE.
As leaders walked into the main hall, Assad exchanged greetings with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman.
"I would like to loudly welcome Syria back to its seat among its brothers," Algerian prime minister Ayman Benabderrahmane said in the opening speech of the summit.
Main streets in Jeddah were lined with the flags of Arab League member states including Syria, as Al-Riyadh newspaper declared on Friday it would be "the summit of all summits".