MBS, al-Sharaa hold talks in Riyadh, oversee several Saudi-Syrian agreements

Saudi Arabia and Syria signed a cooperation agreement between the two countries’ defense ministries on Wednesday, as Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi militia continues its missile and drone attacks on the Kingdom.

The agreement was signed during a visit by Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa to Riyadh, where he met Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. It was their second meeting in Saudi Arabia in less than a month.

The two countries also signed several other agreements during al-Sharaa’s visit to Saudi Arabia. The Kingdom has been providing financial assistance to Syria and played a key role in re-establishing Damascus’ ties with world powers after the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad.

The Saudi Fund for Development signed six agreements with Syria’s Finance Ministry on Wednesday for the provision of concessional development loans worth over $403 million to support development and service sectors in Syria, the Syrian ministry said.

The SPA reported that an MoU was signed on industrial cooperation between the Saudi Ministry of Industry and Mineral Resources and the Syrian Ministry of Industry and Internal Trade and Consumer Protection.

A separate agreement on cooperation between the two countries’ defense ministries was also signed, as well as two other MoUs on agricultural cooperation and environmental protection.