Saudi FM pays 1st visit to Syria in 12 years

Prince Faisal bin Farhan

DAMASCUS, April 18 (Xinhua) -- Saudi Arabian Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud arrived in the Syrian capital of Damascus Tuesday afternoon, the first visit of a Saudi official to Syria in 12 years, according to the state news agency SANA.

The visit comes days after Syrian Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad visited the kingdom as part of the efforts to restore normal relations between the two countries.

During Mekdad's visit to Saudi Arabia, an agreement was made to restore consulate services and resume air flights between the two countries.

This comes amid notable Arab efforts to fix stranded ties with Damascus after the Syrian war broke out in 2011.

Last week, diplomats from nine Arab countries met in the Saudi city of Jeddah to discuss Syria's return to the Arab fold, saying a political solution is the only way to end the Syrian crisis.