Analysis of the “New Gulf” news site about ‘rotation of position and the new regional approach of Riyadh.”
“Saudi Arabia, realizing the realities of the region, is trying to reconsider its regional approach and improve relations with its neighbors,” the Al-Jadeed news website reported.
“Riyadh is trying to reconsider its regional approach and relations with its neighbors, and recent meetings with Syrian officials reflect these changes,” the statement said in an analysis on Sunday, noting that Saudi Arabia’s recent actions indicate a major shift in its foreign policy.
Al-Jadeed added: “Although Saudi Arabia sees Iran’s growing influence in the region as a threat to its national security, Baghdad recently hosted meetings attended by Saudi and Iranian officials to defuse tensions between Riyadh and Tehran.”
The author does not attribute the change in a regional approach to Saudi Arabia alone: it is not limited to Saudi Arabia, as Turkey is also re-evaluating its foreign policy and seeking to improve relations with Cairo and Riyadh.
Relations between Ankara and Cairo tensed more than seven years ago after the Egyptian army ousted the late President Mohamed Morsi in July 2013, but are now gradually improving.
Al-Khaleej Al-Jadeed added that in the past few days, amid anticipation of the establishment of relations between Riyadh and Damascus, news of a meeting between Saudi and Syrian intelligence officials in Damascus was published, which is the first official meeting between the two countries since the Syrian crisis began. It becomes.
Giorgio Cafiro, executive director of Gulf State Analytics, a Washington-based geopolitical risk adviser, said he was not surprised by the meeting between Saudi and Syrian security officials in Damascus and said he was not surprised by the developments.
“It is clear that the regime in Damascus cannot be overthrown, and I believe that Saudi Arabia has come to terms with the fact that it has no choice but to approach the Syrian government,” he said.
Despite the West’s refusal to cooperate with Bashar al-Assad, most Arab countries are slowly moving towards improving relations with Syria, said the executive director of the Golf State Analytics Institute.
“It is important that we understand that Bashar al-Assad’s regime won its field victory when Saudi Arabia expanded its relations with Russia,” al-Jadeed said, noting that Iran and Hezbollah in Lebanon played a key role in preventing the collapse of Syria. The data has stabilized, and now Saudi Arabia, which previously supported Assad’s opponents, is renewing its stance on Syria.
The new Gulf continued the report by pointing to the absence of major Arab countries in the Syrian conflict, adding: “This vacuum paved the way for the infiltration and opening of the footsteps of international and regional powers in Syria.”
The author of the article further considers that the change in Saudi Arabia’s recent approach is due to Riyadh’s determination to stop the expansion of Iran’s influence in Syria, adding: “Currently, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is thinking about how he can get the opinion of Iran’s allies.” By emphasizing the common denominator of the “Houthis” (Yemeni Ansarullah movement) and Bashar al-Assad with the Arabs, he tries to replace sectarianism with their relations with Iran, thereby weakening Tehran’s influence.
