DAMASCUS/AMMAN: Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan travelled to Damascus on Saturday, where he said his country would be at the forefront of efforts to rebuild Syria after nearly 14 years of civil war. Prince Faisal had landed in the Syrian capital earlier, alongside an economic delegation on a visit to discuss ways to support Syria’s war-ravaged economy, authorities said.

Saudi Arabia has been one of the most important regional supporters of Syria’s new authorities, who took over after ousting longtime ruler Bashar Al-Assad in December. “We affirm that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia will remain at the vanguard of countries standing by Syria in its path towards reconstruction and economic recovery,” Prince Faisal said in a joint press conference with his Syrian counterpart.

Saudi Arabia “will present joint financial support alongside Qatar to public sector workers” in Syria, he added, while pointing to interest in Syria from Saudi investors. He said Saudi economic delegations would visit Damascus soon, noting that “work is underway to discuss investment support and economic and trade cooperation” between the two countries.

Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Al-Shaibani, meanwhile, expressed his country’s thanks “for the role Saudi Arabia has played, particularly on the lifting of sanctions” by the United States. The two countries “have entered a strong stage of joint investment and economic cooperation”, he said. Shaibani pointed to “strategic initiatives aiming to restore infrastructure, replenish agriculture... and create real job opportunities for Syrians”. Prince Faisal met Syrian interim President Ahmed Al-Sharaa, and visited Damascus’s famous Umayyad Mosque alongside Shaibani.

Meanwhile, the foreign ministers of five Arab countries, who had planned to visit the occupied West Bank at the weekend, condemned on Saturday the Zionist entity’s decision to block their trip. The ministers condemned “(the Zionist entity’s) decision to ban the delegation’s visit to Ramallah (on Sunday) to meet with the president of the State of Palestine, Mahmoud Abbas”, the Jordanian foreign ministry said.

Ministers from Egypt, Jordan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates had been expected to take part alongside Turkey and the secretary-general of the Arab League. The Zionist entity had announced late Friday that it would not cooperate, effectively blocking the visit as it controls the territory’s borders and airspace.

Abbas “intended to host in Ramallah a provocative meeting of foreign ministers from Arab countries to discuss the promotion of the establishment of a Palestinian state,” a Zionist official said. “Such a state would undoubtedly become a terrorist state in the heart of (the Zionist entity). (The Zionist entity) will not cooperate with such moves aimed at harming it and its security.”

Had the visit gone ahead, the delegation’s head, Prince Faisal would have become the first Saudi foreign minister to visit the West Bank. The Zionist entity last week announced the creation of 22 new Jewish settlements in the West Bank, regarded by the United Nations as illegal under international law and one of the main obstacles to a lasting peace between Zionists and Palestinians.

During a visit to one of the new settlement sites on Friday, Defense Minister Israel Katz vowed to build a “Jewish (Zionist) state” in the Palestinian territory. Taking aim at foreign countries that would “recognize a Palestinian state on paper”, he added: “The paper will be thrown into the trash bin of history, and (the Zionist entity) will flourish and prosper.”

In June, Saudi Arabia and France are to co-chair an international conference at UN headquarters meant to resurrect the two-state solution to the Zionist-Palestinian conflict. French President Emmanuel Macron previously said he could recognize a Palestinian state at that conference, drawing a sharp rebuke from the Zionist entity.

Saudi Arabia was said to have been close to recognizing the Zionist entity before the start of the Gaza war, and US President Donald Trump, during a recent visit to Riyadh, called normalization between the countries “my fervent hope and wish”. But Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has repeatedly said Saudi Arabia will not recognize the Zionist entity without an independent Palestinian state. – Agencies