Syrian-Saudi rapprochement
Syrian-Saudi relations have witnessed notable rapprochement manifested in the recent visit of the Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan to Damascus and his meeting with President Bashar Al-Assad and the visit of the Syrian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates Faisal Al-Mikdad to Riyadh earlier this month to hold talks with Saudi officials on ways to enhance bilateral relations, on the situation in Syria and on the efforts that have been exerted to reach a political solution to the crisis in the country.
Analysts and observers see this rapprochement as the most significant development in moves by Arab states to restore normal ties with Syria and as a positive element for boosting stability in the Middle East.
In a statement to the “Syria Times, Dr. Pablo Sapag, Associate Professor at Complutense University of Madrid, highlighted the importance of this rapprochement, saying “undoubtedly this is a very important step, not just for the bilateral relations between Syria and Saudi Arabia, but for the Arab and Middle Eastern regions as a whole and even beyond. The rapprochement is also important because it’s not a rhetorical one. It’s based on several sincere signs and gestures shown by both parties for several months. Just to recall some, the invitations issued to Syrian ministers to participate in regional ministerial meetings held in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the emergency aid offered by Saudi Arabia to Syria after the earthquake of February the 6th and the public gratitude expressed by the Syrian authorities, who for sure have been very constructive and helpful in the rapprochement between Iran and Saudi Arabia.”
Sapag went on to say “no doubt, Syria has also facilitated the strengthening of the relations of Syria’s two major allies and Riyadh. Russia and China now have the best possible relations with Saudi Arabia and for sure that also has to do with the tight links Moscow and Beijing have with Syria. Those two global players have built up their prestige thanks to their position on Syria and the Saudis valued that. All that led to the visit of Syrian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates Dr. Faisal Al Mikdad to Saudi Arabia.
“This is a sound and very solid step and a policy changer”, Sapag stressed.
On why, in his opinion, Saudi Arabia has changed its position towards Syria, Sapag said “there are many reasons that explain the Saudi shift. First of all because when in 2018 the Syrian Arab Army liberated all Eastern Ghouta and the south of Syria, where Saudi linked armed groups were operating, Riyadh understood that its approach to the Syrian crisis had been a wrong and failed one, probably because it was poorly advised by extra regional powers, mainly the US and France. Wisely enough, the Saudis realized that its former policies towards Syria at the end were harming itself and the Arab cause. Secondly, because one after the other, many regional players, like the United Arab Emirates, reproached Syria in a constructive and mutually beneficial way. Suddenly, Saudi Arabia found itself isolated and in the same position of the Qatari regime, which has been at odds with Saudi Arabia for a long time. The third important factor is the need of Saudi Arabia to secure its position in the international oil market after the US increased its own production and the crisis in Ukraine forced its European allies to buy its more expensive and damaging for the environment fracking obtained petrol, threatening Saudi Arabia’s long stance position in the global market.”
Sapag explained that “the world is already multipolar and being on the side of the collective West is not paying off anymore. Staying linked to untrusty, double standard oriented players is very risky. The Saudis have finally understood all that. That is also why Riyadh reinforced its relations with Russia, which already shared with the Kingdom the same oil strategy. Saudi Arabia also rose to the maximum level in its relations with China, a great petrol buyer that can replace those Western hypocritical ones which always meddle in the internal affairs of other states. No doubt, Syria has played a key role in mediating with all these players and also presented itself as a client for Saudi oil and invited Saudi companies to participate in Syria’s reconstruction efforts. Finally, leaving aside the crisis years, Syrian-Saudi relations had always been good and based on mutual respect and complementary assets. The Saudis realized that it was time to go back to business as usual with a trustworthy state like the Syrian one.”
About the future effects of this rapprochement and on whether it will impact the western stance on Syria so that an end to the blockade imposed on the Syrians can be realized, Sapag said “in fact, with this blockade policy, based on the illegal imposition of coercive measures, the collective West has isolated and blocked itself, because of what it has done to Syria and more recently due to its suicidal stance on the Ukrainian file. Precisely because they realize that, the Saudis have changed so many things regarding Russia, China, Iran and now Syria. We are witnessing a new world order on the making and not just politically, but also economically, financially and commercially”.
Sapag made it clear that “with a position based on principles, pragmatism and the respect of international law, Syria has managed to make former confused players understand that they have been mistaken. As the earthquake showed, the only ones that turned their backs to the Syrian people were the Western countries, with very few exceptions such as the Czech Republic. That Western self-isolationism is repeated in the economic and commercial sector as well. Syria, the Arab region and many others around the world are setting a new economic world order in which blockades and coercive measures will not mean very much. It will take some time but the world is moving fast. All recent developments around Syria and Saudi Arabia demonstrate it. More and more countries and peoples have realized that the collective West is declining fast and that it is possible to build other economic alliances that are more beneficial than those with a decadent collective West which uses economy and trade as political tools.
Interviewed by Hamda Mustafa