Saudi FM Expresses Gratitude to Serbia for Supporting Kingdom’s Bid to Host Expo 2030

The Saudi and Serbian foreign ministers speak at a press conference in Belgrade. (SPA)
The Saudi and Serbian foreign ministers speak at a press conference in Belgrade. (SPA)
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Saudi FM Expresses Gratitude to Serbia for Supporting Kingdom’s Bid to Host Expo 2030

The Saudi and Serbian foreign ministers speak at a press conference in Belgrade. (SPA)
The Saudi and Serbian foreign ministers speak at a press conference in Belgrade. (SPA)

Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah expressed on Wednesday the Kingdom’s gratitude to Serbia for its support to the Kingdom’s bid to host Expo 2030.

Prince Faisal held talks with his Serbian counterpart Nikola Selaković in Belgrade at the conclusion of an official visit to the country.

Prince Faisal said the Kingdom was seeking to deepen ties with Serbia.

He also stressed that Riyadh supports all regional and international efforts aimed at peacefully resolving the Russian-Ukrainian crisis to ease its economic impact on the world and global energy supplies.

He hailed the trade exchange between the Kingdom and Serbia in 2021, which witnessed a marked increase from 2020.

They discussed the possibility of increasing investments in all sectors as part of the Kingdom’s Vision 2030.

For his part, Selaković praised Prince Faisal’s visit, noting that it was the first bilateral trip by a Saudi foreign minister since relations were established between their countries some ten years ago.

He said Belgrade was keen on bolstering ties with Riyadh, most notably since the Kingdom has been witnessing remarkable development under Vision 2030 that is spearheaded by Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Crown Prince and Prime Minister.

He described the development as unique, highlighting Saudi Arabia’s role as an active member of the G20 and its aspiration to become one of the top ten global economies by 2030.



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.”