Media Praise for Visit of Saudi King to Damascus

Syrian newspapers and websites mostly hailed the visit of Saudi Arabia’s king to Damascus as the beginning of a new phase of relations between Arab countries and their role in solving the region’s problems.



King Abdullah’s visit on October 7 was his first since he became the ruler of the Saudi kingdom in 2005. The visit was a sign of the improvement of ties between the two nations after years of soured relations, especially following the assassination of former Lebanese prime minister Rafik Hariri in 2005.



An October 8 op-ed article in the official Al-Baath newspaper said that Syrian-Saudi ties were a model of solidarity and respect of mutual interests that all Arab nations should follow.



Mohammad al-Khuder wrote that the talks between Syrian president Bashar al-Assad and the Saudi ruler laid the foundation for joint Arab action in the region and for Arab nations to reclaim their rights and gain the respect of the international community.



The columnist concluded that disagreements among Arab nations should be contained because any political rift in the Arab world could have serious negative consequences on vital Arab issues, mainly the Palestinian cause.



The editor-in-chief of the state-run daily Al-Thawra wrote on the same day that Saudi Arabia and Syria were essential instigators for Arab countries to cooperate and ensure the stability and the security of the region.



Asaad Abboud said he hoped that the new phase of bilateral cooperation would help lead to peace, understanding, efficient regional politics and development.

He argued that Israel was the main beneficiary from disputes between Arabs.



Also on October 8, Waddah Abd Rabo, editor-in-chief of the pro-government newspaper Al-Watan, wrote that many countries tried to create rifts between Saudi Arabia and Syria but they failed thanks to “the determination and diplomacy” of the Syrian president who had always worked for Arab solidarity.



Earlier on October 7, Issa al-Ayoubi said in the same newspaper that the visit of King Abdullah proved to the world that there were no conflicts between Arab nations and Iran or Turkey but that the only rift in the region was between Arab states and the “Zionist entity”.



He said that the region was witnessing a new geopolitical phase.



Syrian businessmen and economists also welcomed the visit.



The pro-government website Syria Steps said on October 7 that the visit would boost economic relations between the two nations, especially as Saudi Arabia is considered to be the number one foreign investor in Syria.