Attendees at a high‑level Arab ministerial gathering in Jeddah, a major city on the Red Sea in western Saudi Arabia, discussed Syria’s potential return to what many in the region describe as the Arab fold. The discussions were reported by a prominent regional television channel, Al Arabiya, which relayed the broad outline of what participants described as a shared objective tied to Syria’s reintegration into Arab diplomatic and political circles.
According to Al Arabiya, the final statement emerging from the Jeddah consultations emphasized a call for unity within the Arab world and urged Syria to rejoin the ranks of Arab governments and regional actors. The wording suggested a strong belief among the participants that Syria’s reentry would contribute to a more cohesive regional front on a range of political and security questions facing the Middle East and North Africa.
The meetings in Jeddah were held among senior foreign ministers from Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman, and the United Arab Emirates. These allies, often grouped together in discussions about regional alignments and strategy, engaged in talks aimed at shaping Syria’s path back into the Arab League framework and recalibrating relations with Damascus as part of a broader settlement or reorientation strategy within the Arab world.
Representatives from other neighboring countries participated as well, with the heads of diplomatic departments from Iraq, Jordan, and Egypt in attendance. Their involvement underscored the wider interest in achieving a stable and cooperative regional environment, as nations in the region weigh how Syria’s status and role might evolve within Arab political structures.
A notable development cited during the talks was the arrival in Saudi Arabia of Faisal Mikdad, the former Syrian foreign minister, marking a significant moment in the ongoing diplomacy between Damascus and regional capitals. Mikdad’s presence was described as his first return to Saudi soil since diplomatic ties between Syria and some Gulf states were severed, highlighting the sensitivity and potential implications of the discussions underway as parties explore steps toward normalization and reengagement within the Arab system.