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Top diplomats from the Middle East and Europe are due in the Saudi capital on Sunday to discuss Syria as world powers push for stability after the fall of Bashar al-Assad.
The talks on Sunday will unfold in two sessions: the first will bring together Arab officials while the second will feature wider participation including from Turkey, France, the European Union and the United Nations, a Saudi official told Agence France-Presse on Saturday.
The gathering takes place as Syria’s new leader Ahmed al-Sharaa, whose forces seized Damascus and toppled long-time ruler Assad last month, is pushing for sanctions relief.
Western powers, including the United States and the European Union, slapped sanctions on Assad’s government over his brutal crackdown on anti-government protests in 2011 that triggered civil war.
More than 13 years of conflict in Syria have killed more than half a million people, ravaged the economy, and pushed millions to flee their homes, including to Europe.
The European Union’s top diplomat, Kaja Kallas, said on Friday that the 27-nation bloc could begin lifting sanctions if Syria’s new rulers took steps to form an inclusive government that protects minorities.