Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhane arrived at Damascus International Airport and was received by the head of state. Syria has been diplomatically isolated since the 2011 crackdown on the popular uprising that escalated into conflict.
Saudi Arabia, the leader of the Gulf countries, broke off relations with Damascus in 2012 and even supported rebels at the beginning of the war. But after the February earthquake that shook Turkey and Syria, the kingdom made a first gesture by sending humanitarian aid. The Syrian-Saudi reconciliation comes amid easing tensions between the oil kingdom and its great regional rival, Iran.