SYRIA and Saudi Arabia said on Saturday that they aimed to boost economic co-operation for their mutual benefit and create jobs for Syrians after Western sanctions imposed on the war-torn country were eased earlier this month.

The announcement was made during a visit to Damascus by Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan, who met jihadist Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa and other Syrian officials.

The easing of Western sanctions is likely to open the way for foreign investors into the country, where a civil war has raged since March 2011.
 
President Bashar Assad was ousted from power in December last year by an alliance led by former al-Qaida operative Mr Sharaa, who fought against US forces in Iraq and was imprisoned in the infamous Abu Ghraib prison.

The Saudi foreign minister said that the easing of sanctions by the US, the European Union and Britain earlier this month will help in “reactivating the Syrian economy, at a standstill for decades.”

Prince Faisal said Saudi businessmen will visit Syria in the near future to discuss opportunities in sectors including oil, infrastructure, information technology, telecommunications and agriculture.

Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shibani said his country and Saudi Arabia have entered a new era of co-operation.