Syria’s Assad set to fly to Saudi Arabia to attend Arab summit

By Ibrahim al-Khazen

ISTANBUL (AA) - Head of the Syrian regime, Bashar al-Assad, is scheduled to fly to Saudi Arabia on Thursday to attend the annual Arab summit in the city of Jeddah, according to state news agency SANA.
Assad will head Syria’s delegation to the Arab summit on Friday, SANA said.

Assad’s participation will be the first since Syria’s membership in the Arab League was suspended in 2011 over the regime’s brutal crackdown on pro-democracy protests.

On May 7, the pan-Arab body reinstated Syria after 12 years of suspension.

Assad received an official invitation from Saudi King Salman on May 10 to attend the Arab summit.
In recent months, the Syrian regime has begun to exchange official visits and contacts with several Arab countries, including Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia and the United Arab Emirates.

*Writing by Ahmed Asmar in Ankara