Syria's New Leadership Seeks Support: Economic Sanctions and Drug Trade in Focus

Syria's transitional President Ahmed al-Sharaa plans an official visit to Saudi Arabia to seek support after ousting Bashar al-Assad. Since Assad's fall, Sharaa has been reaching out to Western and Arab leaders. Discussions include lifting economic sanctions and addressing concerns about Syria's captagon drug trade.

President Ahmed al-Sharaa of Syria is set to visit Saudi Arabia on Sunday, marking a significant diplomatic step since assuming power post-Assad's ousting. This trip aims to galvanize Arab and Western backing, crucial for Syria's economic revival.

Once linked to al Qaeda, al-Sharaa is actively seeking to uplift Syria from its economic abyss, a fallout from stringent international sanctions. The Saudi exodus, with its foreign minister's recent Damascus talks, underscores regional efforts to mediate these sanctions with European and U.S. allies.

Syria's notorious captagon trade, a longstanding concern for Gulf nations, also finds a place in these diplomatic dialogues. While new Syrian leadership assures Jordan of control over drug smuggling, Western evasion strategies remain under scrutiny.

(With inputs from agencies.)