This is his first visit to the Middle East since the beginning of the Russian invasion. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky arrived in Saudi Arabia on Friday to attend the Arab summit, stealing the show from Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad, an ally of Moscow, who is making his comeback on the Arab diplomatic scene.
"I will speak at the Arab League summit. I will meet with (Saudi) Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and have further bilateral talks," Zelensky said on his Telegram and Twitter accounts. He will also travel to the G7 summit in Hiroshima, Japan, on Sunday, it was learned on Friday.
Beginning my first-ever visit to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to enhance bilateral relations and Ukraine's ties with the Arab world. Political prisoners in Crimea and temporarily occupied territories, the return of our people, Peace Formula, energy cooperation. KSA plays has...
— Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) May 19, 2023
The Ukrainian president was invited by Saudi Arabia and not by the Arab League, a source from the pan-Arab organization told AFP. Saudi officials did not immediately react.
Special position of Syria
The Ukrainian president's stopover in the Red Sea coastal city of Jeddah should give him the opportunity to address the leaders of a region far less united in its support for Ukraine than its European and American allies. The host country, Saudi Arabia, has taken a relatively neutral stance on the conflict.
By contrast, Bashar al-Assad's Syria, an ally of Moscow, is one of five countries to have voted against UN Security Council resolutions calling on Russia to cease hostilities in Ukraine. The leader, who benefited from Russia's intervention in his country in 2015, arrived in Jeddah on Thursday evening to attend his first Arab League meeting in more than a decade.
The pan-Arab organization had expelled the Syrian regime at the end of 2011 for its repression of a popular uprising, which degenerated into a devastating war, before reintegrating it on May 7. The United Arab Emirates, which had re-established ties with Syria in 2018, has been very active in reintegrating Damascus into the group.
UAE President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed will be represented by his brother, Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed, according to the UAE news agency, WAM. The Syrian regime also benefited from a wave of solidarity after an earthquake that devastated large parts of Syria and Turkey on 6 February.
Regional conflicts
The Syrian president met Friday in Jeddah with his Tunisian counterpart, Kais Saied, as part of a series of bilateral meetings planned on the sidelines of the summit, the official Syrian news agency SANA reported. The summit comes in a context of regional détente, marked by the rapprochement in recent months between the Saudi kingdom and its great regional rival, Iran. Riyadh has also recently re-established its consular services with Damascus.
As host of the meeting, Saudi Arabia is also making diplomatic efforts to try to find a solution to regional conflicts, such as Yemen. The wealthy Gulf monarchy has also played a leading role in evacuating thousands of civilians from Sudan, the scene of deadly fighting for the past month, and is hosting representatives of the warring parties for talks aimed at reaching a ceasefire.
In addition to conflicts in the Middle East, the 32nd Arab League summit is expected to address more international topics such as the war in Ukraine and "the global economic crisis," Khaled Manzlawiy, a senior Arab League official, told reporters.
There is a need for "unity of the Arab countries" at a time when "the world is going through a perilous phase of history".
"Internal disagreements" and "indecision"
Saudi Arabia, the Arab world's largest economy and the world's largest crude exporter, has recently strengthened relations with China and coordinated its oil policy with Russia, while maintaining close ties with the United States, its longtime security partner.
The Arab League recently stressed the need to play a "leading role" in order to reach a settlement in Syria. While the fighting has largely fallen silent, the war has left about half a million dead, as well as millions of refugees and displaced persons.
Syria hopes for the normalization of its relations with Arab countries, including the wealthy Gulf monarchies, to finance its costly reconstruction. Countries such as Qatar, which has strongly opposed President Assad since the beginning of the war in Syria, are however very reluctant to move closer to Damascus. The Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamin bin Hamad, will be present on Friday.
Arab League summits have "often been characterized by internal disagreements and indecision," said Torbjorn Soltvedt of risk intelligence firm Verisk Maplecroft.
