Syria’s President Assad to attend Arab League summit in Jeddah: FM
President Bashar al-Assad of Syria will attend the Arab League summit in Saudi Arabia on Friday.
Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad confirmed Assad's participation on Wednesday and said Syria “cannot be absent from any Arab summit.”
The minister is in the kingdom for a preparatory foreign ministerial meeting ahead of the summit.
Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit, Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan and Algerian Foreign Minister Ahmed Attaf have also welcomed Syria’s participation.
This year's summit in Jeddah will mark the re-admittance of Syria into the 22-member Arab League – after a 12-year suspension. Assad will take part in the summit upon an invitation from Saudi King Salman.
Riyadh and Damascus agreed in March to resume diplomatic relations and re-open embassies after more than a decade.
In April, the Saudi Foreign Minister met with Assad in Damascus on the first such visit since 2011.
Assad has already visited the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Oman and is expected to visit other Arab states as well in the near future.
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