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Syria\u2019s newly appointed interim president<\/a>, Ahmed al-Shara, arrived in Saudi Arabia on Sunday for his first foreign trip since his rebel coalition ousted longtime dictator Bashar al-Assad.<\/p>\n Mr. al-Shara landed in Riyadh, the Saudi capital, early on Sunday afternoon. He is expected to stay in Saudi Arabia for two days and meet with the oil-rich kingdom\u2019s crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman, according to Syrian and Saudi state news media. The two leaders will discuss strengthening relations and how to garner support for the lifting of international sanctions<\/a> imposed on Syria, according to Saudi media reports.<\/p>\n The choice of Saudi Arabia for Mr. al-Shara\u2019s first trip abroad was widely seen as a reflection of Syria\u2019s shifting political alignments under the country\u2019s new leadership: Away from Iran, which was a key ally to the Assad regime, and toward the Gulf.<\/p>\n The trip follows a flurry of diplomatic meetings in Syria\u2019s capital, Damascus, in recent weeks. Since the rebel coalition seized power in December, diplomats from Europe, the United States, the Gulf and Russia have flocked to Damascus to meet with Mr. al-Shara and establish contacts with his government.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n The outcomes of those diplomatic overtures will help shape the new political map of Syria and the power dynamics across the Middle East, a region that is being remade in the wake of Israel\u2019s wars in Gaza and Lebanon and the collapse of the Assad government.<\/p>\n Iran has had its influence across the region sharply diminished<\/a> by Israel\u2019s wars, which have targeted Tehran\u2019s proxies. Russia is confronting a serious challenge to its military strategy in the Middle East and Mediterranean after losing its main ally in the region, Mr. al-Assad. And Turkey, which backed the rebels, has emerged as a leading force in Syria.<\/p>\n While initially cautious<\/a> about the Islamist factions that seized power in Syria last December, the Gulf states have since increased their engagement and support for Mr. al-Shara and his interim government. Early on, they urged Syria\u2019s new leaders to demonstrate inclusivity and tolerance for the country\u2019s diverse sects.<\/p>\n On Thursday, Qatar\u2019s emir met with Mr. al-Shara in Damascus, marking the first visit to the Syrian capital by a Gulf head of state since the rebel coalition seized control. The visit underscored the interest of powerful Gulf Sunni rulers in shaping a post-Assad Syria under al-Shara\u2019s leadership.<\/p>\n For Saudi Arabia, recent events have presented a critical opening to reassert influence in both Syria and Lebanon, two countries where the kingdom had once vied for sway and largely lost out to Iran over the past decade.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Saudi Arabia has been projecting support for Syria\u2019s new government and calling for the removal of Western and European sanctions imposed on Mr. al-Assad\u2019s government. Following Mr. al-Shara\u2019s appointment as interim president last week, Saudi Arabia\u2019s king and crown prince both sent congratulatory messages to Mr. al-Shara, wishing him success in leading Syria.<\/p>\n Mr. al-Shara has also signaled the importance of the relationship, giving his first exclusive Arab media interview<\/a> in December to the Saudi-owned Al Arabiya broadcaster rather than Al Jazeera of Qatar, which he has appeared on multiple times over the past decade.<\/p>\n \u201cSaudi Arabia has a major role in Syria\u2019s future, and I take pride in everything it has done for us,\u201d he told Al Arabiya.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n