Syrian President Bashar al-Assad arrived in the Saudi Arabian city of Jeddah on Thursday to attend the Arab League's 32nd Summit -- a summit seen by many experts as an opportunity to promote the unity of the Arab world, Reuters reports.
Upon his arrival, Assad was greeted by Prince Badr bin Sultan, deputy governor of Mecca, along with Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul-Gheit, and several other local officials, according to the Syrian presidential media office in Damascus.
The visit marks the first since the beginning of the Syrian war in 2011, and comes as Syria and Saudi Arabia have resumed diplomatic missions in both countries, which have been suspended since November 2011.
Ahmed Aboul Gheit noted that other member states could choose at will whether to restore their ties with Syria.
One day ahead of the Syrian president's arrival, the foreign ministers from the Arab League member states met in Jeddah on Wednesday, during which they extended their welcome to the re-admission of Syria.
Many experts believe the latest unfolding hints a promising potential where greater unity would be seen in the Arab world against the backdrop of many challenges in terms of regional security.
"Quite a few Arab states have undergone wars or conflicts in the past dozen years, and these have cost them greatly. The economic lost has mounted to over 1 trillion U.S. dollars. To put a stop to such situation, Saudi Arabia made a lot of efforts recently to hold this summit, and we believe the summit will promote the unity of the Arab world," said Mohammed Al-Nafia, a Saudi scholar of politics.
This year's summit is said to highlight negotiations and coordination among member states as the league seeks to safeguard peace and stability in the region, with issues concerning Syria and Sudan being the major topics.
