Gulf and Red Sea Regions

On Sunday December 8th the long-ruling Syrian president Bashar al-Assad fled the country, ultimately giving up power to the Syrian rebel group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS). The day marked the end of the 61 years long authoritarian regime, started by Bashar’s father, Hafez al-Assad. The regime scared the Syrian population with regular instances of torture, mysterious disappearances and unlawful killings in cases of resistance against the ruler. Since the 2011 ‘Arab Spring’ protests that resulted in the rise of repression and a civil war, Syria’s economic and political landscape was completely ruined. Even though the long-awaited Assad’s fall is a time of celebration for many around the world, it is only the beginning of a long, demanding journey to rebuild the country from scratch.

French President Emmanuel Macron’s arrival in Riyadh on Monday for a three-day state visit demonstrates the deepening ties between France and Saudi Arabia. The visit follows an invitation from Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and it reflects the shared ambition to enhance cooperation across various sectors in conjunction with both Saudi Vision 2030 and France 2030.