For the first time since the Syrian civil war in 2011: Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad will arrive this Friday at the Arab League summit in the Saudi city of Jeddah.
The Syrian foreign minister confirmed to the Lebanese website Al-Jadid that Assad would attend the summit. This comes after Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Abu al-Riit indicated earlier this month that Assad could attend the summit if he wished.
Earlier this month, Saudi Arabia announced that it was resuming the activity of its diplomatic mission in Syria.Riyadh's decision follows the Arab League's announcement that it was returning its seat in the regional organization to Syria.
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. On Friday, the summit will be held in Jeddah, Photo: AFP
The move was taken as part of Jordan's initiative to resolve the Syrian crisis after more than 12 years of civil war that killed more than half a million people. A war that is still going on and claiming casualties every day.
The Arab League summit is expected to deal with closer cooperation with the Assad regime. This move is related to several issues: the problem of drug smuggling at the borders, which has become a nuisance in the Gulf States; Masses of refugees in Jordan and Lebanon: as well as arms smuggling and the humanitarian crisis leading to epidemics in the region.
Wrong? We'll fix it! If you find a mistake in the article, please share with us
