Saudi Arabia to Take Part in BRICS Plus Dialogue and BRICS-Africa Outreach

Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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Saudi Arabia to Take Part in BRICS Plus Dialogue and BRICS-Africa Outreach

Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah. (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah departed to South Africa on Tuesday to take part in the BRICS Plus Dialogue and BRICS-Africa Outreach.

Prince Faisal has been deputized by Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Crown Prince and Prime Minister, to represent the Kingdom at the events that will be held in Johannesburg on Thursday under the theme "BRICS and Africa: Partnership for Mutually Accelerated Growth, Sustainable Development and Inclusive Multilateralism".

The BRICS-Africa Outreach and BRICS Plus Dialogue are slated to discuss developments in the international arena, global challenges, including those faced by BRICS and the Global South, and sustainable solutions to them, with the aim of building mutually beneficial partnerships in a multipolar world.

Prince Faisal will hold meetings on the sidelines of the summit with representatives of other participating countries.

Among the Kingdom's delegation will be Undersecretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for Multilateral Affairs Dr. Abdulrahman Al-Rassi, Director-General of the Minister of Foreign Affairs Office Abdulrahman Al-Dawood, and Director General of International Organizations Shahir AlKhonaini.



Syria’s Leader Meets with Bahraini Diplomatic Delegation

The leader of Syria's new administration, Ahmed al-Sharaa meets Bahraini Foreign Minister Abdul Latif Al-Zayani in Damascus, Syria, January 8, 2025. (Bahrain News Agency/Handout via Reuters)
The leader of Syria's new administration, Ahmed al-Sharaa meets Bahraini Foreign Minister Abdul Latif Al-Zayani in Damascus, Syria, January 8, 2025. (Bahrain News Agency/Handout via Reuters)
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Syria’s Leader Meets with Bahraini Diplomatic Delegation

The leader of Syria's new administration, Ahmed al-Sharaa meets Bahraini Foreign Minister Abdul Latif Al-Zayani in Damascus, Syria, January 8, 2025. (Bahrain News Agency/Handout via Reuters)
The leader of Syria's new administration, Ahmed al-Sharaa meets Bahraini Foreign Minister Abdul Latif Al-Zayani in Damascus, Syria, January 8, 2025. (Bahrain News Agency/Handout via Reuters)

Syria's de facto leader Ahmed al-Sharaa received a delegation from Bahrain on Wednesday and met with the Bahraini foreign minister, state media reported.

The visit was the latest in a flurry of diplomatic overtures by Arab countries to Syria’s new leaders after they overthrew former President Bashar al-Assad in a lightning rebel offensive.

Like other Gulf countries, Bahrain had cut off diplomatic ties with Syria under Assad’s rule during the Syrian civil war, but it reopened its embassy in Damascus in 2018 and gradually restored ties with the Assad government.

Bahrain is the current head of the Arab summit, and days after Assad’s ouster it had sent a message to al-Sharaa offering its cooperation with the new authorities and saying, “We look forward to Syria regaining its authentic role in the Arab League.”