Syria Opens Consulate in Jeddah, Boosting Saudi Ties

Syria’s new consulate in the Saudi city of Jeddah officially opened its doors on Thursday, a step Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shibani described as a fresh chapter for serving Syrians overseas. The ceremony drew a crowd of diplomats and officials, including Fares bin Saad al-Shehri, director of the Foreign Ministry branch in the Mecca region.

Al-Shibani announced the opening on his X account, calling it “a new station to facilitate the affairs of Syrians and serve them abroad.” He framed the consulate as “an achievement befitting the new Syria, a message of loyalty to our great people everywhere, and a new brick in the path of strengthening fraternal relations between the Syrian Arab Republic and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.”

Saudi state news agency SPA reported that al-Shehri attended the inauguration alongside al-Shibani, a number of officials, and members of the diplomatic corps. SPA’s report said the opening “extends the care that the wise government, led by the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, gives to strengthening Arab relations and consolidating the bonds of cooperation and rapprochement between brotherly states, contributing to support for security and stability and the achievement of common interests.”

The Saudi agency added that the ceremony “reflected the depth of fraternal relations between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Syrian Arab Republic, and the attention and care that bilateral relations receive, contributing to enhancing joint cooperation in various fields.”

A statement from Syria’s Foreign Ministry said al-Shibani opened the consulate “with wide official attendance that included consuls and officials from several countries.”