Syria, Saudi Arabia sign defence cooperation deal, agree $403m in loans
Syria's President Ahmed al-Sharaa and Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman have overseen the signing of several agreements, including a defence cooperation deal and over $403m in Saudi loans.
The agreements were signed on Wednesday during al-Sharaa's second visit to Riyadh in less than a month. Syria's Foreign Ministry called the defence cooperation agreement between the two countries' defence ministries the "most notable" of the deals, though it did not disclose the terms.
Regional Security Concerns
The defence agreement came days after Syria's Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani announced his government was evaluating entry into the Mecca alliance, a mutual defence pact among Saudi Arabia, Turkiye and Pakistan. "Discussions are currently under way to evaluate Syria's entry into the Mecca alliance," al-Shaibani said at the Manama Dialogue security conference in Bahrain.
Discussions are currently under way to evaluate Syria's entry into the Mecca alliance.
Economic Support
The Saudi Fund for Development agreed to provide $403m in loans under six agreements with Syria's Finance Ministry on concessional terms. These include $100m for healthcare facilities, $60m for housing repairs, $105m for civil defence, $90m for Aleppo's thermal power plant, and $30m for drinking water systems in Damascus and Idlib.
Regional Stability
During their talks in Riyadh, the two leaders discussed the "current regional and international situation," including military escalation's effects on regional security, international shipping, energy supplies, and the global economy. They called for de-escalation and urged an "immediate cessation of all actions that threaten the security of maritime navigation" in the Red Sea, Bab al-Mandeb strait, and Strait of Hormuz.
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