Mohammed Rami Martini, Syrian Tourism Minister, arrived in Riyadh on May 26 to attend a Saudi tourism summit. A delegation from the Syrian government arrived in the Saudi capital on Tuesday, in the first public official visit to the kingdom since the outbreak of the Syrian conflict in early 2011. The Syrian delegation participated in the 47th meeting of the World Tourism Organization Committee for the Middle East, the inauguration of the Middle East Regional Office, and the Tourism Promotion Conference which was held in Riyadh on 26-27 May.
Syria has a history of hosting Saudi tourists, who typically were a family traveling by car. The average Saudi tourist would rent a house or beach chalet for the summer months, most notably in the cool mountain resort of Slounfa. The homeowners and business operators in Slounfa, Kessab, and Latakia are eager to welcome Saudi tourists once again after such a long and painful absence.
Riyadh has been reaching out to Tehran through Syrian channels, and Syria can play a role in easing tensions between Iran and Saudi Arabia. As Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri struggles to form a Lebanese government, Saudi Arabia may need Syria's help in the dialogue between Riyadh and Tehran in sorting their interests in Beirut.
US-EU sanctions continue to make ordinary Syrians suffer. The anger and resentment at the west are felt across Syria through all social strata. Church leaders have continued to demand that the sanctions be removed. Elizabeth Hoff, former WHO director in Damascus often cited the sanctions as the reason medical machines sat idle in Syria for want of a replacement part.
Syria is in desperate need of rebuilding, but the US-EU sanctions are designed to prevent any rebuilding for fear of punishments. Moscow is now focused on starting the reconstruction process, returning at least some Syrian refugees to their home country, and normalizing the Syrian government's foreign relations.
Next month President Biden meets President Putin, and they could potentially resume diplomatic efforts to resolve the Syrian conflict.
Steven Sahiounie is an award-winning journalist
(Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher).
