On Wednesday, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad received an official invitation from Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud to the Arab League summit. Al-Assad's office announced this in its Telegram channel.
"President [of Syria] Bashar al-Assad has received an invitation from Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud to attend the 32nd Arab League summit to be held in Jeddah on May 19," the statement said. - "The invitation was extended by Saudi Ambassador to Jordan <...> Naif al-Sudairy."
Al-Assad responded by conveying his gratitude to the king for the invitation and expressed confidence that "the upcoming Arab League summit will serve the interests of all Arabs," the text said.
On May 7, Secretary-General of the Arab League Ahmed Aboul Gheit said following the meeting of the League Council in Cairo that the Syrian president could attend the next summit of the organization if he wanted. He stressed that Syria's return to the League did not mean the end of the crisis, but was the Arab countries' contribution to its resolution. Shortly before that, the League Council decided to return Syria to its place in the regional community.
After the February 6 earthquake, most of the Arab states provided significant humanitarian assistance to Syria. Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud held talks with al-Assad in Damascus on April 18. The foreign minister said at the meeting that "Syria's role in the region should become more significant than before."
Syria's membership in the Arab League was suspended in November 2011 in the midst of an internal crisis that turned into an armed conflict. By now, most Arab embassies have reopened in the Syrian capital.
GSV "Russia - Islamic World"
Photo: official website of the President of the Russian Federation
Based on materials from TASS