Syria’s president visits Bahrain and discusses regional affairs with the king

BEIRUT (AP) - Syria's president flew to Bahrain Saturday where he discussed mutual relations and regional affairs with King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa on his latest trip abroad since taking office in January.

Syria's state news agency, SANA, said President Ahmad al-Sharaa is heading a high-ranking delegation to Bahrain, a gulf nation that had relations with former President Bashar Assad until his removal from power in early December.

Bahrain’s news agency said the two leaders discussed mutual relations and ways of boosting them, as well as regional affairs and ways of backing Syria’s security and stability.

Al-Sharaa's visit to Bahrain comes days before U.S. President Donald Trump is scheduled to visit the region for talks with leaders of gulf Arab nations.

Since taking office, al-Sharaa has visited Arab and regional countries including Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Turkey. Earlier this week, he made his first trip to Europe where he met French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris and announced that his country is having indirect talks with Israel.

After Assad's fall, Syria and its neighbors have been calling for the lifting of Western sanctions that were imposed on Assad during the early months of the country's conflict that broke out in March 2011.

The lifting of sanctions would open the way for oil-rich Arab nations to take part in funding Syria's reconstruction from the destruction caused by the conflict that has killed nearly half a million people.

The United Nations in 2017 estimated that it would cost at least $250 billion to rebuild Syria. Some experts now say that number could reach at least $400 billion.

In April, Saudi Arabia and Qatar said they will pay Syria's outstanding debt to the World Bank, a move likely to make the international institution resume its support to the war-torn country.

Since the fall of Assad, a close ally of Iran, Syria's new leadership has been improving the country's relations with Arab and western countries.