One year after : where is Saudi Arabia and Syria’s normalisation process?

Abstract

In May 2023 the Crown Prince and Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) Mohammed Bin Salman (MBS) warmly greeted Bashar al-Assad at the Arab League summit in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, following the return of Syria to the League of Arab States (LAS) after more than a decade of absence. Riyadh’s decision to rehabilitate Damascus was linked to national objectives and regional dynamics involving the kingdom’s security, political and economic priorities. This research report examines the evolution of Saudi Arabia-Syria relations after their normalisation in April 2023 and their impacts on the socio-economic, political and security situations in Syria. The challenges and obstacles in improving Syria-Saudi relations are also analysed.