Saudi Gazette report

JEDDAH — Syrian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates Dr. Faisal Mekdad arrived in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday.

Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Eng. Waleed Al-Khereiji received him at King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah.

Dr. Mekdad’s visit is in response to an invitation extended by Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Faisal Bin Farhan. The foreign ministers will hold a session of official talks.

The talks will focus on the efforts to reach a political solution to the Syrian crisis that preserves Syria’s unity, security and stability.

Issues such as the return of Syrian refugees to their homeland and ensuring the access of humanitarian aid to the affected areas in Syria will also figure high in their talks.

The visit is the first by a Syrian foreign minister to Saudi Arabia since 2011, when the war in Syria began.