Syria, Saudi Arabia sign defense deal, $403M loan agreements

Strategic partnership

Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman convened at Al-Yamamah Palace in Riyadh on Wednesday to advance bilateral ties, signing a defense cooperation agreement and development loans exceeding $403 million, according to the Syrian presidency. The meeting, attended by ministers and senior officials from both countries, addressed "bilateral relations and ways to develop them and strengthen cooperation between the two brotherly countries in various fields," the presidency said.

Financial and defense accords

Syria’s Finance Ministry signed six concessional loan agreements with the Saudi Fund for Development covering electricity, water, healthcare, emergency services, housing reconstruction and digital transformation, according to the Syrian Arab News Agency. Syrian Finance Minister Mohammed Yisr Barnieh and SFD CEO Sultan bin Abdulrahman Al-Marshad signed the agreements in the presence of the crown prince. Defense Minister Murhaf Abu Qasra stated that he accompanied Sharaa to meetings with Prince Khalid bin Salman and the crown prince, during which "several agreements and memorandums of understanding were signed."

Diplomatic engagement

Sharaa arrived in Riyadh on Wednesday on an official visit and was received at King Khalid International Airport by Prince Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Abdulaziz and other officials, according to the Saudi Press Agency. The delegation included ministers of foreign affairs, defense, finance and industry alongside the head of the General Intelligence Directorate. The visit follows Sharaa's October 6 trip to Riyadh, when he invited the crown prince to visit Syria, and comes after Industry Minister Basel Abdul Hannan discussed industrial cooperation with the Saudi ambassador to Damascus on the eve of the latest visit.