Saudi Arabia and Syria Sign Defense and Financial Pacts

Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa visited Riyadh on Wednesday, November 4, where he and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman signed a defense cooperation agreement. The pact follows a series of diplomatic engagements, including visits by al-Sharaa in April and October, and comes as Saudi Arabia seeks support against missile and drone attacks from Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthi group.

During the meeting at Al-Yamamah Palace, al-Sharaa led a high-level delegation including the ministers of defense, finance, industry, and foreign affairs. The leaders focused on coordinating joint positions on counter-terrorism, regional security, and the reconstruction of Syria's damaged infrastructure. Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Al Shibani also indicated that Damascus is negotiating to join the Makkah defense agreement, a pact between Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, and Turkey.

In addition to the military agreement, the Saudi Fund for Development signed six agreements with the Syrian Ministry of Finance to provide over $403 million in concessional development loans for Syria's service and development sectors. Saudi Arabia has continued to assist Syria in re-establishing international ties following the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad.