Syria's President Ahmad Al Shara held talks in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday to begin what his office said was a Gulf tour.
Mr Al Shara met Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Jeddah, where they discussed strengthening their ties and developments in the region.
State media in Syria said his visit to the kingdom was "part of a Gulf tour", but his other destinations have not yet been announced. It said Prince Mohammed and Mr Al Shara discussed economic and investment ties and "regional connectivity projects".
The Syrian leader was greeted in Jeddah by Prince Saud bin Mishaal, Deputy Governor of the Makkah Region. The welcoming party in Jeddah also included the city's mayor, Saleh Al Turki, the Makkah region's police chief, Maj Gen Saleh Al Jabri, and officials at the royal court.
Saudi Arabia has positioned itself as one of the major investors in the new Syria since Mr Al Shara took power in 2024, after leading a rebel offensive that ousted the regime of Bashar Al Assad.
In an early gesture, Saudi Arabia and Qatar agreed to pay off Syria's $15.5 million debt to the World Bank, clearing the way for new loans after years in the wilderness during Syria's civil war.
Prince Mohammed attended a historic meeting between Mr Al Shara and US President Donald Trump in Riyadh last May, signalling Syria's pivot towards Washington after many years as an ally of Iran.
The openings were followed by a flurry of investment deals involving Saudi Arabia, the UAE and other Gulf countries. In February, Saudi Arabia announced the launch of the Elaf Investment, intended to finance major projects in Syria with participation from Saudi companies.
One of the fund's projects will be to redevelop and operate airports in Aleppo, eastern Syria, with a $2 billion investment. Saudi Arabia's low-budget carrier flynas and the Syrian Civil Aviation Authority will also launch an airline, to be called flynas Syria.
Mr Al Shara used a speech in Riyadh on another visit last October to offer "win-win” deals for the country to rebuild itself without relying on aid.
"Investments are growing well in Syria, and we will rebuild every stone that has been destroyed,” said Mr Al Shara, making what would once have been an unthinkable appearance by a former rebel commander at Saudi Arabia's Future Investment Initiative. "We chose reconstruction through investment, not aid.”
In another offering last weekend, Saudi Arabia's King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Centre distributed 1,700 cartons of dates to vulnerable groups in eastern Syria. The US lifted a set of stringent sanctions on Syria last year, paving the way for foreign investors to channel funds into the country.
Syria has mostly managed to stay out of the regional war in recent weeks, although some drone and rocket attacks have been reported.
Mr Al Shara has said his country is willing to come to an accommodation with Israel as part of US peace plans for the region. But he has rejected Israeli demands for a demilitarised buffer zone within Syrian territory. Israel bombed Damascus last year in what it said was a campaign to defend Syria's Druze minority during clashes in its heartland of Sweida.
