Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah said on Tuesday he was “cautiously optimistic” about the situation in Syria, while revealing that he plans to visit Lebanon in the coming days.
Speaking at a panel discussion at the World Economic Forum in Davos, he said there was a “great opportunity” to take Syria in a “positive direction.”
The new Syrian administration is “saying the right things in the open and in secret,” he remarked, noting that it was also open to working with the international community to move in the “right direction.”
He stressed the need to exert more efforts to lift sanctions on Syria, urging the international community to help it during its transitional period in rebuilding the state and aiding the Syrian people.
On Lebanon, Prince Faisal said he will visit the country this week. He stressed that the election of a president after a long period of vacuum was a “very positive development.”
Saudi Arabia needed to see real reforms in order to raise its engagement in the country, he stated. “Discussions there are so far a cause for optimism.”
On efforts to avert any war in the region, Prince Faisal remarked that Iran needs to be positive about the ceasefire in Gaza and it must support it.
“I don't see the incoming US administration as contributory to the risk of war, on the contrary, President Donald Trump has been quite clear he does not favor conflict,” he noted.
