In a major diplomatic move and with Saudi sponsorship, Syria officially recognized Kosovo as an independent, reflecting a significant diplomatic shift.
Analysts said the move reflects Saudi Arabia’s balanced diplomacy and Syria’s new pragmatism and approach in its international relations.
Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister, sponsored the recognition during a meeting with Syria’s interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa and Kosovo’s President Vjosa Osmani in Riyadh on Wednesday.
Hisham Al-Ghannam, a fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and head of the National Security Program at Naif University for Security Sciences, said Syria’s recognition is a major shift in its foreign policy.
He explained to Asharq Al-Awsat that the move demonstrates that Damascus is placing national and economic interests above traditional stances that were adopted by the ousted regime.
The Syrian Foreign Ministry said the recognition stemmed from Syria’s belief in the people’s right to self-determination, as well as its keenness on bolstering peace and stability in the Balkans and the world.
This is part of Syria’s policy that is aimed at extending bridges of cooperation and openness with countries around the world to serve mutual interests and bolster ties of friendship, it added.
Al-Ghannam explained further that the former regime had backed Serbia and Russia’s opposition of Kosovo’s independence, while the new authorities in Damascus under Sharaa have chosen a different path in an effort to ease the international isolation it had endured for the past decade.
The Foreign Ministry assertion of the people’s “right to self-determination" reflects Syria’s keenness on building relations with Arab Gulf and western countries and to become part of a new more balanced regional order, he added.
Osmani had expressed her gratitude to Sharaa for the recognition, describing it as historic and a first step in building diplomatic relations based on mutual respect of sovereignty.
In a post on the X platform, she also underlined Saudi Arabia’s pivotal role, led by Crown Prince Mohammed, in sponsoring the agreement, which is a historic moment for the people of Syria and Kosovo.
Saudi Arabia has been pursuing balanced diplomacy since its 2023 agreement with Tehran. Al-Ghannam said such a stance underscores the Kingdom’s role as a mediator capable of bringing together political rivals and building bridges between the Middle East, the Balkans and Europe.
For Syria, recognizing Kosovo is a “strategic gain that bolsters its standing in the Islamic world,” he remarked. Serbia and Russia had condemned the recognition as a “wrong political move”.
The step will test Damascus’ ability to strike a balance between the Gulf while maintaining its ties with Moscow, said al-Ghannam.
Sharaa had visited Moscow earlier this month where he held talks with President Vladimir Putin.
