Footage on Saudi news agency SPA showed Crown Prince Mohammed receiving Al Shara at a royal palace, with Saudi Arabia’s flag and the new green black and white Syrian flag behind them. A photo published earlier by the official Syrian news agency Sana showed Al Shara on board a Saudi plane heading from Damascus to the kingdom.
The new Syrian government is seeking regional support and more aid to rebuild the country after the 14-year civil war.
Al Shara is the head of Hayat Tahrir Al Sham (HTS), a group formerly linked to Al Qaeda and Al Nusra Front, which played the main role in the downfall of former president Bashar Al Assad on December 8.
Support from US ally Saudi Arabia is crucial for Al Shara’s quest to legitimise the new rule in the international arena and lift western sanctions on Syria, particularly those imposed by Washington.
Removing these punitive measures could help bring in funding for recovery from a conflict that broke out during former president Bashar Al Assad’s rule, although significant violence persists. Last month, Saudi Arabia called for the lifting of sanctions on Syria in a major diplomatic boost for the HTS government, at a meeting in Riyadh of western and Arab powers.
Since being declared President, Al Shara has received letters of congratulations from President Sheikh Mohamed and Jordan’s King Abdullah II. On Thursday, Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim visited Damascus and discussed the possibilities of reconstruction with Al Shara, according to Syrian reports.
Syria’s relations with Gulf and other Arab states have improved since Al Shara took power, in contrast with the reliance on Iran under Mr Al Assad.
Al Shara last week said he would impose the power of the state on the whole of country, as the central authorities deal with challenges in the east and west stemming from the civil war.
The power of Al Shara, who was until December ruler of a small fief in northern Syria, is being challenged on two fronts in outlying areas of the country. Since the civil war began in late 2011, Kurdish militias have carved out large territories in the east, while core Assad regime loyalists have entrenched themselves in the western Alawite mountains overlooking the coast.